I do not own The OC or any characters in this story.
As per usual, this fic is based on a scene from a preview. This one is based on Seth chasing after Anna. It's Seth's POV. I am assuming Seth has a car.
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"This pudding sucks, do you want it?" Summer asked.
I rolled my eyes. "It sucks, so you give it to me?"
Summer kissed my cheek. "You know you can eat anything," she pointed out.
"That I do, but you don't have to scream it out loud, especially when other people are around."
Summer looked at the people sitting at the near-by tables as if noticing them for the first time. I understood what was going on in her head. Lately, we had been living in our own little world.
"Well, do you want it?" she asked, pushing the bowl toward me. "There's no point wasting it if you do."
I dipped my spoon in the bowl and filled it. As I was tasting it I heard Anna's voice say, "Hey, kids!"
I looked up and saw her approaching us.
"Hey, Anna," Summer and I said in unison.
"Wow, you've already got the point where you speak in one voice?" she asked playfully.
I didn't really know how to respond to that so I changed the subject.
"Where's your tray?" I asked. "Aren't you having lunch?"
"I already did. I just came to give you guys the news."
"What news?" We said again in unison.
Anna laughed, "o.k., this," she said, pointing at us, " is a little surreal, but, em, I just came to let you know that I am moving back to Pittsburgh."
"What?" I asked. I needed to hear it again.
"Why?" Summer asked.
"Oh, this and that. But anyway, I need to leave now. I just wanted to let you guys know. I'll see you around." With that, she was off in a shot.
"I wonder why she's leaving, she only just got here."
Summer took a bite of her apple. "Who knows? Probably some family thing she doesn't feel like talking about."
I wanted to believe that but my heart wouldn't let me.
------
"You've reached Anna. I am probably doing something really important right now, so leave a message." That was the fifth time that I'd received that message in an hour and frankly speaking, I was getting a little worried. In all the time I'd known her, Anna had never stayed away from her phone for that long. I stood there, coming up with different scenarios for why she wasn't answering her phone till I heard a voice behind me.
"Seth Cohen!"
I turned around to see Summer's frown staring back at me.
"What in the world are you doing standing there and staring into nothing? If I didn't come in here, your chicken and broccoli would have burned down my entire house!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, immediately remembering my boiling pot.
I added some water, stirred and tasted it. Luckily it was salvageable. It was the maid's day off so I was cooking dinner for Summer and her father as a way to get into his good graces. Summer's father wasn't the most doting parent, but I'd decided that regardless of that, it wouldn't hurt to get him to like me.
"Seth, what in the world were you thinking about so hard?"
I shook my head. "Nothing, really. It's just that what Anna -"
Summer groaned. "Not that again. Ever since we saw Anna, all I've been hearing is Anna, Anna, Anna. Could you give it a rest, please? At least for a little while."
"But Summer, you don't understand. She's my friend."
"I do understand! She's my friend too. But she has her own life and we have ours. I am sure there's nothing to worry about. I mean, if there was, she would have told us, right?"
"Right. But I am still a little worried."
"About...?"
"Nothing specifically, I am just worried." I looked away from her. I didn't want to give her the opportunity to read my face and figure out what I was really thinking.
"If you are so worried, why don't you just go to her house and leave me alone?"
"Really? That's a great idea!" I said, preparing to leave.
"Cohen, what in the world has gotten into you? Are you telling me that you are going to leave me and also stand up my Dad?" she asked angrily.
I couldn't believe what I'd just said. Normally, I call tell when Summer is being sarcastic from a mile away but this time I'd been too wrapped up in my thoughts to even notice it. I bit my lip and apologized. I'd spent so long dreaming about a relationship with Summer that I was not about to just let it slip away from me.
----
As Summer and I were flirting shamelessly at her locker, I felt a tap on my shoulders. Summer saw who it was and straightened her body. I looked around and saw Anna stretching her hand at me.
"Here are the CDs I borrowed. I wanted to return them before I left."
I took them from her. "You can keep them for longer -there's no rush."
"Hey, Summer," she said, smiling at her.
"Anna, how's it going?" she replied.
She looked at me. "Seth, I am leaving tonight - I can't keep them any longer."
"Wow! What's the rush?" It almost felt like a part of me was dying and suddenly I couldn't control my world any longer.
She smiled nervously, "well, there's no time like the present, right? Well, I've got to go. I have to sort a few things out with the Dean."
"But," I said, stopping her, "what about all your stuff I borrowed? Can I swing by after school to drop them off?"
She shook her head. "It'll be pointless. Soon after I get home, we head out for the airport. Consider them an early birthday present. Or you can mail them -I'll send you my new address, if it's o.k. with you."
"Of course it's o.k." I was still standing there in shock when Summer walked up to her and hugged her.
"Anna, I am going to miss you, I wish you didn't have to leave," she said sadly.
Anna smiled weakly at her. "Yeah, I am going to miss you too."
When they broke apart, she hugged me. "You too Seth Cohen... be good. It was nice knowing you both." And with that, she walked out of our lives.
----
"Seth what was, like, the last thing I said?" Summer asked.
"Huh?" I couldn't for the life of me tell her because I'd literally shut her voice out. I tried my best not to think it, but ever since Anna had made her announcement, all I could think was "She's leaving because of you, Seth," over and over again in my head as if it were on a loop. I knew it, I could feel it in my bones - Anna Stern was moving back to Pittsburgh because of Seth Cohen. Because Seth Cohen didn't love her like she deserved. But I didn't want it to happen, I didn't want Anna to leave. All I wanted to do was make her understand, to make her see reason so that she wouldn't leave. But there was nothing I could do. Summer Roberts, the girl I'd always wanted, and I were dressed to the nines, supposedly having a good time at some fru-fru affair, so why was I only thinking of Anna Stern?
"What was the last thing I said?"
"Something about portion sizes?" I took a wild guess.
Summer rolled her eyes. "Just call her already."
"Who?"
"Anna. It's obvious that you need to talk to her, just call her."
I called her number and got the darned message.
I turned to Summer, "Sugarlumps, you're not going to like this, but there's something I have to do."
"You want to go to her?" She had seen it coming.
"Yes?"
"And you're going to leave me here, all alone, looking as sexy as I am, with all these hot guys around me?"
I kissed her on the forehead. "Yes... this is something I have to do."
She looked at me sadly, "I know. Go ahead. Send her my love."
--------
The entire ride there, I'd called all the airlines, trying to figure out when Anna's flight was leaving. From what I could gather, her flight to Pittsburgh was leaving at 9:05pm unless she'd been on the earlier 7:35pm flight and therefore I'd missed her. I looked at my watch -it was 8:23pm. I was probably doing about 100 miles an hour so I alternated between calling her cell phone and saying a little prayer to keep me away from the police's radar.
God answered so I got there uneventfully. As if all the stars were in alignment, a convenient parking space opened as I arrived and the minute I got out of the car, I ran so fast, I was sure even Marion Jones couldn't catch me. I ran around the airport like a madman, finding signs and following them. Finally, I got to the check point. I had no ticket so I couldn't go any further. Even though I knew it was futile, I walked to the glass window hoping to catch a glimpse of her. As I was just about to give up, I spotted her! As if possessed, I started hitting the glass and screaming her name. After about thirty seconds, I knew that security had most likely been summoned so I gave it my all and kept screaming and hitting the window. I don't know if that was it or something else, but Anna looked up! She looked up, turned her face away and as if in slow motion, she looked again then noticed me.
I wanted to cry when I noticed the tears in her eyes. All I could think of was "Seth, look what you did to her. Look!" I'd always hated the sight of women crying but Anna's tears seemed worse. Maybe because I knew I'd been the source.
She managed to conjure up a smile then signaled for me to meet her somewhere.
About 3 minutes later, she walked to me.
"Seth, what's going on?" she asked calmly. Even though she's wiped her tears, her eyes were red and her nose was puffy.
I looked at my watch. "Anna, it's 8:58, I don't want you to miss your flight."
She looked confused, "How did you... never mind. The flight has been delayed. We are leaving an hour later."
I sighed in relief. "Great."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Anna, I don't know how to say this, but please don't leave."
She let out a dry laugh. "Seth, it's a little too late for that, look where we are...I am already leaving."
"I know that, but I feel so bad."
She touched my shoulder. "Why?"
"Because of everything. You know, you and me, me and Summer..."
"Seth, you cannot change who you want. You want her, not me."
I suddenly noticed the floor design and started paying close attention to it.
I looked back at her. "I don't know if that's true."
She raised her left eyebrow. I guess she wasn't buying it.
"I'm so sorry, Anna," I continued, "I didn't really realize it, but when I think about it, I really didn't think about you. I was so selfish. I am truly sorry for the way I treated you - you've only been nice to me. You deserved a lot more than what I did for you. You were a great girlfriend, you are a great friend. It was out of line."
She sent me what I determined to be a fake smile. "It's all forgotten, Seth. You're with her now, and I understand. Didn't I give you some good advice about it? If I was still bothered by it, I wouldn't have."
A single tear escaped my left eye. I didn't bother wiping it away. "But that just goes to show the kind of person you are - giving, helpful, "
She chuckled. "Let's not get carried away, Seth, I can be very selfish. Trust me. And you know it. Let's not romanticize things now because I am leaving."
I took her hand, "I don't know about that I am just telling you how I feel." I paused for a moment. " I just want to tell you that I am deeply sorry about the despicable way I treated you," I continued, "I will always treasure you as a friend and I hope you'll think the same way about me."
She took her hand back. "As I said, it's all forgotten."
"You promise?"
"I do. I promise."
She was saying all the right things, but her actions were saying something entirely different. "So, why were you crying, if it's all forgotten?"
She looked at me like I was crazy, "I... I just got a call that my grandmother just died. That's why... that's part of the reason we were rushing off so quickly."
I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I'd loved Anna and probably always will, but some things were just easier, or maybe they just weren't what you'd thought they'd be.
"So, it's not because of me?" I asked, the happiest I'd been for two days.
She shook her head slowly, "Seth, you are a great guy, but not that great."
We spent about five more minutes talking then ended it with a long hug. From the minute she walked to the other side of security, I knew I was going to miss her for a long time.
As I was driving back home, I remembered something. Anna had once told me that both of her grandmothers had died when she was little.
As per usual, this fic is based on a scene from a preview. This one is based on Seth chasing after Anna. It's Seth's POV. I am assuming Seth has a car.
------
"This pudding sucks, do you want it?" Summer asked.
I rolled my eyes. "It sucks, so you give it to me?"
Summer kissed my cheek. "You know you can eat anything," she pointed out.
"That I do, but you don't have to scream it out loud, especially when other people are around."
Summer looked at the people sitting at the near-by tables as if noticing them for the first time. I understood what was going on in her head. Lately, we had been living in our own little world.
"Well, do you want it?" she asked, pushing the bowl toward me. "There's no point wasting it if you do."
I dipped my spoon in the bowl and filled it. As I was tasting it I heard Anna's voice say, "Hey, kids!"
I looked up and saw her approaching us.
"Hey, Anna," Summer and I said in unison.
"Wow, you've already got the point where you speak in one voice?" she asked playfully.
I didn't really know how to respond to that so I changed the subject.
"Where's your tray?" I asked. "Aren't you having lunch?"
"I already did. I just came to give you guys the news."
"What news?" We said again in unison.
Anna laughed, "o.k., this," she said, pointing at us, " is a little surreal, but, em, I just came to let you know that I am moving back to Pittsburgh."
"What?" I asked. I needed to hear it again.
"Why?" Summer asked.
"Oh, this and that. But anyway, I need to leave now. I just wanted to let you guys know. I'll see you around." With that, she was off in a shot.
"I wonder why she's leaving, she only just got here."
Summer took a bite of her apple. "Who knows? Probably some family thing she doesn't feel like talking about."
I wanted to believe that but my heart wouldn't let me.
------
"You've reached Anna. I am probably doing something really important right now, so leave a message." That was the fifth time that I'd received that message in an hour and frankly speaking, I was getting a little worried. In all the time I'd known her, Anna had never stayed away from her phone for that long. I stood there, coming up with different scenarios for why she wasn't answering her phone till I heard a voice behind me.
"Seth Cohen!"
I turned around to see Summer's frown staring back at me.
"What in the world are you doing standing there and staring into nothing? If I didn't come in here, your chicken and broccoli would have burned down my entire house!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, immediately remembering my boiling pot.
I added some water, stirred and tasted it. Luckily it was salvageable. It was the maid's day off so I was cooking dinner for Summer and her father as a way to get into his good graces. Summer's father wasn't the most doting parent, but I'd decided that regardless of that, it wouldn't hurt to get him to like me.
"Seth, what in the world were you thinking about so hard?"
I shook my head. "Nothing, really. It's just that what Anna -"
Summer groaned. "Not that again. Ever since we saw Anna, all I've been hearing is Anna, Anna, Anna. Could you give it a rest, please? At least for a little while."
"But Summer, you don't understand. She's my friend."
"I do understand! She's my friend too. But she has her own life and we have ours. I am sure there's nothing to worry about. I mean, if there was, she would have told us, right?"
"Right. But I am still a little worried."
"About...?"
"Nothing specifically, I am just worried." I looked away from her. I didn't want to give her the opportunity to read my face and figure out what I was really thinking.
"If you are so worried, why don't you just go to her house and leave me alone?"
"Really? That's a great idea!" I said, preparing to leave.
"Cohen, what in the world has gotten into you? Are you telling me that you are going to leave me and also stand up my Dad?" she asked angrily.
I couldn't believe what I'd just said. Normally, I call tell when Summer is being sarcastic from a mile away but this time I'd been too wrapped up in my thoughts to even notice it. I bit my lip and apologized. I'd spent so long dreaming about a relationship with Summer that I was not about to just let it slip away from me.
----
As Summer and I were flirting shamelessly at her locker, I felt a tap on my shoulders. Summer saw who it was and straightened her body. I looked around and saw Anna stretching her hand at me.
"Here are the CDs I borrowed. I wanted to return them before I left."
I took them from her. "You can keep them for longer -there's no rush."
"Hey, Summer," she said, smiling at her.
"Anna, how's it going?" she replied.
She looked at me. "Seth, I am leaving tonight - I can't keep them any longer."
"Wow! What's the rush?" It almost felt like a part of me was dying and suddenly I couldn't control my world any longer.
She smiled nervously, "well, there's no time like the present, right? Well, I've got to go. I have to sort a few things out with the Dean."
"But," I said, stopping her, "what about all your stuff I borrowed? Can I swing by after school to drop them off?"
She shook her head. "It'll be pointless. Soon after I get home, we head out for the airport. Consider them an early birthday present. Or you can mail them -I'll send you my new address, if it's o.k. with you."
"Of course it's o.k." I was still standing there in shock when Summer walked up to her and hugged her.
"Anna, I am going to miss you, I wish you didn't have to leave," she said sadly.
Anna smiled weakly at her. "Yeah, I am going to miss you too."
When they broke apart, she hugged me. "You too Seth Cohen... be good. It was nice knowing you both." And with that, she walked out of our lives.
----
"Seth what was, like, the last thing I said?" Summer asked.
"Huh?" I couldn't for the life of me tell her because I'd literally shut her voice out. I tried my best not to think it, but ever since Anna had made her announcement, all I could think was "She's leaving because of you, Seth," over and over again in my head as if it were on a loop. I knew it, I could feel it in my bones - Anna Stern was moving back to Pittsburgh because of Seth Cohen. Because Seth Cohen didn't love her like she deserved. But I didn't want it to happen, I didn't want Anna to leave. All I wanted to do was make her understand, to make her see reason so that she wouldn't leave. But there was nothing I could do. Summer Roberts, the girl I'd always wanted, and I were dressed to the nines, supposedly having a good time at some fru-fru affair, so why was I only thinking of Anna Stern?
"What was the last thing I said?"
"Something about portion sizes?" I took a wild guess.
Summer rolled her eyes. "Just call her already."
"Who?"
"Anna. It's obvious that you need to talk to her, just call her."
I called her number and got the darned message.
I turned to Summer, "Sugarlumps, you're not going to like this, but there's something I have to do."
"You want to go to her?" She had seen it coming.
"Yes?"
"And you're going to leave me here, all alone, looking as sexy as I am, with all these hot guys around me?"
I kissed her on the forehead. "Yes... this is something I have to do."
She looked at me sadly, "I know. Go ahead. Send her my love."
--------
The entire ride there, I'd called all the airlines, trying to figure out when Anna's flight was leaving. From what I could gather, her flight to Pittsburgh was leaving at 9:05pm unless she'd been on the earlier 7:35pm flight and therefore I'd missed her. I looked at my watch -it was 8:23pm. I was probably doing about 100 miles an hour so I alternated between calling her cell phone and saying a little prayer to keep me away from the police's radar.
God answered so I got there uneventfully. As if all the stars were in alignment, a convenient parking space opened as I arrived and the minute I got out of the car, I ran so fast, I was sure even Marion Jones couldn't catch me. I ran around the airport like a madman, finding signs and following them. Finally, I got to the check point. I had no ticket so I couldn't go any further. Even though I knew it was futile, I walked to the glass window hoping to catch a glimpse of her. As I was just about to give up, I spotted her! As if possessed, I started hitting the glass and screaming her name. After about thirty seconds, I knew that security had most likely been summoned so I gave it my all and kept screaming and hitting the window. I don't know if that was it or something else, but Anna looked up! She looked up, turned her face away and as if in slow motion, she looked again then noticed me.
I wanted to cry when I noticed the tears in her eyes. All I could think of was "Seth, look what you did to her. Look!" I'd always hated the sight of women crying but Anna's tears seemed worse. Maybe because I knew I'd been the source.
She managed to conjure up a smile then signaled for me to meet her somewhere.
About 3 minutes later, she walked to me.
"Seth, what's going on?" she asked calmly. Even though she's wiped her tears, her eyes were red and her nose was puffy.
I looked at my watch. "Anna, it's 8:58, I don't want you to miss your flight."
She looked confused, "How did you... never mind. The flight has been delayed. We are leaving an hour later."
I sighed in relief. "Great."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Anna, I don't know how to say this, but please don't leave."
She let out a dry laugh. "Seth, it's a little too late for that, look where we are...I am already leaving."
"I know that, but I feel so bad."
She touched my shoulder. "Why?"
"Because of everything. You know, you and me, me and Summer..."
"Seth, you cannot change who you want. You want her, not me."
I suddenly noticed the floor design and started paying close attention to it.
I looked back at her. "I don't know if that's true."
She raised her left eyebrow. I guess she wasn't buying it.
"I'm so sorry, Anna," I continued, "I didn't really realize it, but when I think about it, I really didn't think about you. I was so selfish. I am truly sorry for the way I treated you - you've only been nice to me. You deserved a lot more than what I did for you. You were a great girlfriend, you are a great friend. It was out of line."
She sent me what I determined to be a fake smile. "It's all forgotten, Seth. You're with her now, and I understand. Didn't I give you some good advice about it? If I was still bothered by it, I wouldn't have."
A single tear escaped my left eye. I didn't bother wiping it away. "But that just goes to show the kind of person you are - giving, helpful, "
She chuckled. "Let's not get carried away, Seth, I can be very selfish. Trust me. And you know it. Let's not romanticize things now because I am leaving."
I took her hand, "I don't know about that I am just telling you how I feel." I paused for a moment. " I just want to tell you that I am deeply sorry about the despicable way I treated you," I continued, "I will always treasure you as a friend and I hope you'll think the same way about me."
She took her hand back. "As I said, it's all forgotten."
"You promise?"
"I do. I promise."
She was saying all the right things, but her actions were saying something entirely different. "So, why were you crying, if it's all forgotten?"
She looked at me like I was crazy, "I... I just got a call that my grandmother just died. That's why... that's part of the reason we were rushing off so quickly."
I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I'd loved Anna and probably always will, but some things were just easier, or maybe they just weren't what you'd thought they'd be.
"So, it's not because of me?" I asked, the happiest I'd been for two days.
She shook her head slowly, "Seth, you are a great guy, but not that great."
We spent about five more minutes talking then ended it with a long hug. From the minute she walked to the other side of security, I knew I was going to miss her for a long time.
As I was driving back home, I remembered something. Anna had once told me that both of her grandmothers had died when she was little.