Alright, i know i should probably be concentrating on The Road To Nowhere (i have actually written some for that, but not enough for an update), but i thought of this and i just wanted to write it for fun. It will be multi-chaptered but not too long. Enjoy :)
Prologue
Marissa Cooper stepped into her small apartment looking as if she'd just won the lottery. 'Hey Sum,' she called, dropping her purse on a chair and draping her jacket over the back of it. On receiving no reply, she glanced over to see her friend glued to a 'Golden Girls' marathon and smiled.
She walked the short distance to the living area and waved a hand in front of Summer's face. 'Hello! Earth to Summer!' she said, in a sing-song voice, before flopping down on the couch herself.
Summer swiped at Marissa's hand but didn't take her eyes from the television. 'Hey, you're back. Have fun with Russell?'
Marissa sighed. 'Ryan. His name is Ryan. And yes, I did, thank you. I mean, it was just lunch, but he's great.'
Summer reached for the remote and muted the sound of the television. 'You really like him, huh? She asked, turning to face Marissa.
'I dunno,' Marissa shrugged. 'I've only known him two weeks. And I totally wasn't looking for a relationship right now - I'd prefer not to flunk out of my first semester in college – but still. Sometimes these things happen when you least expect it.'
'Like fate?' Summer asked, rolling her eyes, and nearly had a coronary as friend blushed in response. 'O-kay.' Summer hid her surprise. 'So, when am I going to meet this one?' she asked.
Marissa frowned and pretended to think. 'Huh. We'll let's see, today's Saturday so … 'never' would work for me.'
'Coop! Come on! You won't let me meet him? Why can't I meet him!' she whined.
'Because!' Marissa answered. 'I know you Summer - you'll completely annihilate the poor guy! You have never liked a single guy I've dated.
'That's not true!' Summer exclaimed. 'I liked Pete Caufield.'
Marissa raised an eyebrow incredulously. 'We were eleven, Summer.'
'He was still sweet! And is it my fault that puberty hit and you starting going out with complete jerks?'
'Hey!' Marissa defended, 'they were not … actually, yeah, a lot of 'em did turn out to be jerks,' she admitted.
'See! So just let me meet this guy Ryan, I'll tell you if he's a keeper and it'll save us all a lot of trouble.'
Marissa made a face, knowing that she would almost certainly regret this decision as the point which marked the ruin of her new relationship. 'Fine,' she relented. 'We can all go do something next week. Just … be nice to him, ok?'
Summer smiled triumphantly. Marissa was really too easy - she caved in a matter of seconds. 'Don't worry Coop, I'll be on my best behaviour.'
'No.' Summer stated blankly. 'Just …no.'
'Come on,' Marissa pleaded. 'It'll be fun, I promise. You said you wanted to meet Ryan.'
'When I said I wanted to meet Ryan, I mean brunch, I meant coffee, I maybe even meant the movies. I did not mean a double date,' Summer answered, saying the last words as if they were a particularly nasty STI.
'I know, I know. But it was all Ryan's idea, I promise,' Marissa said, feeling this disclaimer to be necessary in order to protect herself from the effects of a rage blackout, but immediately afterward realising that it probably wasn't the best way to endear her new sort-of-boyfriend to an already over-protective Summer.
Summer folded her arms across her chest and frowned. 'Can't you cancel it?'
Marissa's honey curls bounced as she shook her head. 'I already said yes, Sum. Please come. For me. It's only one night.'
'Ok,' Summer conceded, after a slight pause. 'I'll do it for you. But,' she added, with a wry smile, 'we are not ordering entrées or desserts.
'I think I can live with that,' Marissa laughed.
'So, when are we going anyway?' Summer asked casually.
'Well,' Marissa shifted uncomfortably, knowing the reaction would not be pretty. 'See, this is the thing Sum. It's tonight.'
'Tonight? Tonight? Coop! How could you do this to me? Look at me, I'm a mess!'
'But hey, at least you're not being dramatic about this,' Marissa said sarcastically, casting a well-trained eye over her best friend. Summer wore a pair of dark denim jeans and a plain, sky-blue tee-shirt, with her hair clipped up in a loose bun. As far as Marissa could see, there were no major issues.
'You look great,' she replied, in what she hoped to be a comforting tone and slipped an arm around Summer's tiny waist. 'Just put on a dress or something and we'll go. It's only one night, remember?'
'I cannot believe I let you talk me into this,' Summer commented, walking towards her bedroom and gesturing for Marissa to follow her.
'I bet the guy's a total geek, too,' she continued. 'I mean, you go on a double date, it obviously means that you're neither confidant nor hot enough to just walk up to someone and ask them out. Same rules apply for a blind date,' Summer concluded, as she rooted through her closet, periodically selecting a dress and adding it to the shortlist which was accumulating on her bed.
'Actually,' Marissa replied, 'he's Ryan's brother. Or half brother, or adopted brother or something like that – I wasn't really listening. But anyway, apparently he has 'quite a way with the ladies.' That's a direct quote, by the way.'
Summer peeled her tee-shirt off in one fluid motion and wriggled out of her jeans. 'Thank you Marissa,' she said dryly, 'you can always be counted upon for accuracy.' Summer picked two dresses from her bed, still on their hangers, and alternated holding them up against herself. 'Which one?' she asked.
'Uh ….' Marissa considered it for a second. 'First one. Definitely,' she decided.
Summer pulled the chosen item over her head and viewed herself critically in the mirror. The dress was black chiffon and held up by thin spaghetti straps. It dipped slightly in a sweetheart neckline and fell gracefully to the knee. It floated easily over soft, bronzed skin and hinted at every curve.
Marissa put down a pair of shoes in front of her friend, sprayed them both with 'Ghost' perfume, and handed Summer a deep red lip gloss. Both girls smiled. 'Little black dress can work miracles, huh?'
The guys were already seated when Summer and Marissa arrived, but stood up to greet them. Ryan stepped forward to kiss Marissa on the cheek and Summer felt ready to puke as she watched them debate who missed who more. She extended a hand to the guy on Ryan's right.
'I guess you're the mystery man,' she said playfully.
'So it seems, he replied with a smile.
'You have a name?' she enquired.
'Yes.'
'What, is it, like, a secret?'
'Wouldn't you like to know?' he asked rhetorically, grinning infuriatingly as they all sat.
Summer sighed internally and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She got it – he was that guy. Fancied himself as a charmer and expected every woman he met to fall for it. Clearly, he had never felt the scathing effects of Summer Roberts' tongue.
He seemed rather put out when Summer didn't continue their banter, but instead leaned across the table towards Ryan.
'So Ryan,' she asked, 'how are you two related? I'm Summer, by the way.'
'Hey, Ryan Cohen,' he replied easily, reaching over to shake her hand. 'And, uh, Seth and I are brothers.'
'Seth Cohen,' Summer muttered, glancing the man in question, her eyes glinting.
'I'm impressed,' Seth said dryly, looking rather amused. 'Usually takes the girls at least a quarter of an hour.'
Summer propped her elbow on the edge of the table and rested her chin in her hand. She elevated herself forward slightly and looked him directly in the eye. 'Cohen?' she said, raising an eyebrow. 'I realise I haven't known you very long, but I think I can pretty safely say, that I'm not like the other girls.'
Seth didn't quite know how to respond so he simply nodded. 'I'll remember that.' He said softly, as she returned, nonchalantly, to perusing the menu. Seth was beginning to realise that pissing this woman off was the sexiest thing he'd ever experienced. In the candlelit restaurant, with strands of dark hair tumbling over equally dark eyes and, of course, that dress, he found her captivating. But since she seemed intent on being such a pain in the ass, there was really no need for her to know such information.
Ryan and Marissa, meanwhile, had watched their encounter curiously. This was a far cry from the 'getting-to-know-you' pleasantries they had expected to be exchanging. Marissa felt it was time things got back on track.
'Hey Summer, Ryan and Seth are from Newport Beach. Isn't that funny?' she asked amicably.
'Small world huh?' was Summer's only answer.
'Where are you guys from?' Seth asked.
'Laguna Beach. We're neighbours!' Marissa laughed.
Seth smiled politely, 'So, how's UCLA treating you?'
The question was obviously directed towards Summer, but all of a sudden, she became very preoccupied with the bread-roll she was currently buttering. Fortunately, the waiter arrived to take their orders, and everyone was spared the awkward moment.
XXXXXXX
Even when the appetisers had been and gone, the situation hadn't improved any. Marissa knew Ryan wasn't a big talker at the best of times, and she suspected he was kind of terrified of her best friend. Seth and Summer – she didn't know what was going on there. They traded insults in low, sultry tones and their gaze was unflinching and intense, as if one was constantly challenging the other. Well, they could continue their screwball mating ritual elsewhere, because the silence was just about killing Marissa.
'You know,' she announced, to no-one in particular, 'Summer's related to Tom Cruise.' Her voice had a cheerful, desperate quality and she really couldn't fathom where that had come from.
'Cool!' Ryan said, with pathetic lack of conviction. 'How's that?'
'Uh, he's my dad's second cousin. I've never met him or anything.' Summer replied, wondering, not for the first time, if her friend was on some kind of medication.
'Oh.' Ryan answered weakly, lifting his G&T and talking a long drink.
Once again, the silence invaded the table and it lasted. And once again, it was Marissa who broke it.
'I'm just going to the restroom,' she said hurriedly, apparently ready to admit defeat.
Three pairs of eyes followed Marissa as she walked away.'Well, Ryan,' Summer began, 'I guesss this is where I ask you about your intentions towards Marissa.'
'What are you, her father?' Ryan joked lightly.
'Worse.' Summer answered chirpily. 'I'm her best friend.'
'Um …' Ryan gulped. 'Well, Summer, I, uh, I really like her and … was that … did Marissa go to the bathroom? Cause I was just about to say … I mean … it was really nice talking to you Summer.'
And with that, Ryan practically sprinted towards the men's room.
'Summer raised her drink to her lips and looked at Seth, a small smile playing on her lips. 'Something I said?' she asked innocently.
'Oh my God, Coop!' Summer screeched, when the arrived back at their apartment. 'What the hell were you and Ryan doing in that bathroom! You left me alone with Seth for twenty minutes!'
A blush rose in Marissa's cheeks and she looked inexplicably amused.'What did you guys talk about?'
'He said ... you know what, you don't wanna know. Ugh, he is the most annoying person in the world! And, I mean, he's not even that cute!'
'So you think he's cute then? Or at least, relatively cute? Oh, and Ryan told me about your little interrogation by the way.'
'Oh yeah,' Summer giggled at the recollection. 'Thought I'd shake things up a bit. You should have seen him, I think he was turning green. And to go back to your original question, yes, compared to, say, Shrek or The Cookie Monster, Seth Cohen is somewhat attractive. Compared to the remainder of the guys on the planet …? Well, he has good hair, I'll give him that. Pity about the big fat head.'
'Summer!' Marissa scolded, but she couldn't help laughing. 'He's not like that! Honestly, I talked to him when you were getting the cab. He's funny.'
'No, Marissa,' Summer replied witheringly, tugging off her shoes. 'He is not funny. He's a wise-cracking smart-ass who thinks he's the shit. There's a subtle but substantial difference.'
Well, that was just the prologue - let me know what you thought and if you would be interested in more :)