"It was such a good idea to skip today and go shopping in LA," Summer mentioned, "I really needed a break."

"Me too," Marissa answered driving through LA, "But I think we're kinda lost."

"Well just go back the way we came," Summer looked around.

After a few minutes of driving around there was a loud bang. Summer looked around, but Marissa knew what had happened.

"Oh no," Marissa sighed, "We have a flat."

"In the middle of LA?" Summer asked a little panicky.

"Don't worry," Marissa took out her phone, "Just call Seth."

"Good idea," Summer answered and took out her phone. She dialed Seth and put the phone to her ear. She waited for a few minutes then said, "Hey Cohen, it's me. Um…call me back it's an emergency." She hung up, "He didn't answer. Call Ryan."

Marissa pulled out her phone and called Ryan. When she got his voicemail she hung up. "Nothing."

Summer leaned back in her seat, "Who are we going to call?"

Marissa nervously looked around, "I don't think this is the best place to break down."

"Do we know anyone in LA?" Summer asked.

Marissa shrugged, "I don't think so."

Summer looked through her contact list on her phone, "We have to know someone. Oh!…Call Alex."

"Alex?" Marissa raised her eyebrows.

"C'mon we're in the middle of God knows where," Summer replied, "We need help."

Marissa scrolled through her contacts and stopped at Alex's number, "I don't even know if she has the same number."

"Try," Summer turned toward Marissa.

Marissa pressed the send button and prayed no one would answer.

"Hello?" a laughing voice answered.

"Alex?" Marissa asked.

"Yeah," Alex replied, "Who's this?"

"It's…Marissa," Marissa told her.

There was a pause, "Marissa?"

"Yeah," Marissa said, "I know this is like out of nowhere and you don't have to come if you don't want to, but me and Summer were shopping in LA and we got lost and have a flat tire."

"Where are you?" Alex asked.

"Um," Marissa looked around and spotted a street sign, "State Street and Missouri Avenue."

"Lock your doors and don't look at anyone," Alex told her, "I'll be right there."

"Thanks," Marissa answered, locking the doors.

"Yeah," Alex stated and hung up.

"She said she'll be right here," Marissa told Summer, "She also said not to look at anyone."

"Okay," Summer curled up in her seat, "Did she say how long it would take?"

Marissa shook her head, "Not long I hope."

They sat there for a few minutes, when Marissa spotted Alex's Jeep roll up. Alex parked behind them. Marissa tensed up in her seat when she saw Alex. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was clad in her usual muscle shirt and jeans.

Alex slid out of her seat and Summer got out at the same time. Marissa took a deep breath and followed.

"Hey," Sumer smiled, "Thanks for coming."

Alex walked over to the flat tire on the rear passenger's side, "No problem. Do you have a spare?"

Marissa opened the trunk and moved some shopping bags around, "Um…I think I took it out to make room."

Alex raised an eyebrow, but smirked at the same time, "What do you want to do? I can give you a ride wherever."

Summer looked at Marissa. Then she looked at Alex, "Is it too far to take us home?"

Alex shook her head, "Just load your stuff up."

The girls got their bags and loaded them up into Alex's Jeep.

"We need to wait for a tow truck," Alex told them, "Or your car won't be in one piece very long."

"I'll call one," Summer pulled out her phone from the backseat.

"I already did," Alex answered laying her head back on the seat, "He should be here any minute."

"How did you know we were going to need one?" Marissa asked.

"I figured you took out your spare to make room for your stuff," Alex turned her head to look at Marissa.

Marissa felt a blush creek up her cheeks so she looked away.

"So…" Summer tired to break the tension, "What have you been up to lately?"

"Nothing much," Alex shrugged, "Just working."

"You didn't go back to school?" Marissa asked.

Alex looked at her again, "I did. I took classes over the summer and doubled up on everything so I already graduated."

"Are you going to college?" Summer asked leaning forward.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged, "I haven't really thought about it."

There was a brief silence before a tow truck came rumbling up. A man got out. Alex said, "Stay here." And got out to meet him. After a brief conversation, Alex walked back.

"He said it'll cost sixty bucks if he tows it to the shop by my apartment, but three hundred if he tows it back to Newport," Alex said through the open door.

"How long will it take to fix?" Summer asked.

"He said a few hours," Alex paused, "You're welcome to stay at my apartment until it'd done."

Summer looked at Marissa. Marissa just shrugged.

"We'll stay with you," Summer told Alex.

Alex nodded and walked back to the tow truck driver. After a brief conversation, the tow truck driver got Marissa's car onto the truck and Alex followed him to the shop.

When they got to the shop, Marissa and Summer went in to see how long it would take and pay for the tow.

"Are you alright?" Summer asked, "You seem tense."

"Sorry if I'm not relaxed around my ex," Marissa replied quietly.

"You are around Ryan and Luke and well pretty much all your other exes," Summer stated.

Marissa shrugged, "I dunno. She's…I hurt her."

"You hurt Luke," Summer pointed out.

"He wasn't hurt," Marissa huffed then seemed to deflate, "I still care about her. I feel bad about what I did."

"You feel bad that you broke up with her or that you hurt her?" Summer asked.

"Both?" Marissa shrugged, "I dunno. I didn't think it mattered any more. She was gone."

"She's not any more," Summer took the receipt and walked out with Marissa. When they got to the Jeep, Alex had her head back against her seat with her eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" Marissa asked letting Summer in.

Alex opened her eyes and picked up her head, "I'm just tired."

They took off toward Alex's apartment. When Alex pulled to a stop, they were in the parking lot of a villa style complex with four buildings around a grassy lawn with a fountain in the middle.

"This is nice for LA," Summer looked around as they followed Alex up some stairs.

"Thanks," Alex smiled, "Oh and I'm gonna warn you now that there's probably a few people already in my apartment."

At the top of the stairs there were two doors. Alex walked to the door on the right and opened it with a key.

There were three people sitting around the living room watching the TV.

"You're just in time," the guy on the couch told Alex, "This is the first screening of Mel's new movie."

"Another one?" Alex asked.

"You act like I make a movie every week," a brunette girl laying on the ground stated.

"You do," Alex said, "Uh guys this is Summer and Marissa." She turned to Summer and Marissa. She pointed to the guy on the couch, "That's Marcus." She pointed to the girl laying on the ground, "Melanie." She pointed to the other girl sitting on the ground with her back against the couch, "That's Sarah." Alex stepped over Melanie, "He's an actor, Mel's a filmmaker and Sarah's a writer. That means they're all moochers. C'mon I'll get you two something to drink."

"We don't mooch," Marcus looked over at Alex.

Alex paused at the kitchen door, "Then why have you been eating my food and sleeping on my couch."

Marcus was silent.

"I thought so," Alex walked into the kitchen with Marissa and Summer in tow.

When they walked into the kitchen they saw a girl sleeping on the kitchen counter. "Jodie?" Alex asked.

Jodie groaned.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" Alex asked.

Jodie opened one eye, "It's my day off."

"Yesterday was your day off," Alex stated.

Jodie looked at her watch, "What? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Why did you fall asleep on my kitchen counter?" Alex asked.

Jodie rolled off of the counter and started walking for the door, but stopped dead when she saw Marissa, "What are you doing here?"

"Go to work Jodie," Alex stated before Marissa could answer.

Jodie kept looking at Marissa waiting for an answer. Marissa seemed at a loss for words and looked more or less like a deer in the headlights.

Summer finally spoke up, "Her car got a flat and Alex came to help us. We're going to hang out here while the car's getting fixed."

"I hope you'll be here when I get back," Jodie told Marissa, "We can have a nice long talk."

"Go to work Jodie," Alex said sternly.

Jodie winked at Marissa, "You and me after work." Jodie walked out.

"Don't worry about her," Alex told Marissa and turned to the refrigerator, "I have water, ginger ale, and…" Alex picked up an unmarked pitcher, "And some red stuff that could be Kool-Aid, but might not be."

"Ginger ale," both girls said together.

Alex pulled out two cans a ginger ale and handed them to the girls.

"No beer?" Marissa asked.

"I don't drink that much anymore," Alex answered, "Not enough to keep some here."

Marissa and Summer nodded.

"Anything new going on with you?" Summer asked, "New tattoos? Piercings?"

Alex smiled, "No none of that. It's pretty much the same with me as it was in Newport, but with a high school diploma and a smaller apartment. What have you two been up to?"

"Nothing really," Summer answered.

Marissa was pretty quiet. Lucky for her, her cell phone rang. She dug it out of her purse and answered, "Hello?….yeah….there's no way?…um, okay." Marissa hung up the phone. "That was the guy from the repair shop. He said that he has to get the tire for my car from out of town and he can't get it here until tomorrow."

"Great," Summer sighed, "Now

"Um," Alex leaned back on the counter. "You can take my Jeep and I'll bring your car to you when it's done."

"Really?" Summer asked.

Alex nodded, "I can ride with Mel to work."

"You'd do that?" Marissa asked quietly.

Alex paused, catching Marissa's eyes, "Of course."

Marissa's heart started racing as she looked into Alex's blue eyes. "I…uh….thanks."

Alex shyly looked away then took her keys out of her pocket. "If you leave now you can get home around the time you would get home from school."

Marissa took out her keys and traded with Alex. Their hands lingered for a second before Alex pulled away.

"I'll…uh…bring your car to you tomorrow," Alex put her hands in her pockets, "Do you still live in the same place?"

"Yeah," Marissa nodded.

"Okay," Alex nodded.

Summer looked between the two and added, "Thanks again Alex."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks," Marissa could barely get out.

"You're welcome," Alex replied. "Oh uh I have to get some stuff out of my Jeep."

Summer led the way through the living room.

"Bye!" Marcus called.

Summer and Marissa waved and walked down the stairs. As they started to walk toward the parking lot Jodie walked back up.

"Hey," Jodie smiled when she saw Marissa.

"What are you doing here Jodie?" Alex asked.

"I took the day off," Jodie answered.

"They're leaving," Alex told Jodie, "Go inside."

"I just want to talk," Jodie told Alex. Then she looked at Marissa, "Is that okay with you?"

Marissa slowly nodded.

Alex bit her lip, "Fine." She looked at Marissa, "Call me if you need me."

Alex and Summer walked to the Jeep and Summer watched Alex gather her stuff.

"What's Jodie going to say?" Summer asked.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged, "Jodie's kinda crazy."

"She won't hurt Marissa will she?" Summer asked.

Alex shook her head, "No."

"Whatever game your playing," Jodie told Marissa, "Don't. You devastated Alex. She doesn't need that right now. If you care about her, you'll leave her alone"

"I wasn't…" Marissa started, but Jodie cut her off.

"Whatever you're up to," Jodie said, "Don't." With that Jodie trotted up the stairs.

Alex slung her bag over her shoulder as Marissa walked over. "What did she say?"

"To stay away from you," Marissa answered quietly.

Alex was momentarily stunned. "Oh."

"Look, I didn't mean to come down here and," Marissa started, but Alex held her hand up.

"It's okay," Alex smiled reassuringly, "I know, you didn't mean to get a flat tire and get lost. I wouldn't have helped if I didn't want to. It's okay."

Marissa let out a long breath, "Thanks."

"Well thanks," Summer smiled at Alex and gave her a brief hug.

Marissa put her purse in the car and Alex stepped up onto the sidewalk with her bag. She waved at Summer and Marissa who were in her Jeep.

Marissa started to Jeep and watched Alex pick up her bag, start to walk off. Her eyes lingered as Alex trotted up the stairs.

"Coop?" Summer asked.

"Huh?" Marissa shook out of her daze.

Summer raised an eyebrow, "Maybe you two should spend some time together when she brings your car back."

Marissa nodded silently. Her head was in a fog and the only thing shining through the fog was Alex. Marissa took a deep breath and put the Jeep in reverse, "Yeah, sure."

Alex closed the door after walking into her apartment.

Marcus surveyed her, "She was hot."

"Shut up," Alex dropped her bag.

Melanie smirked, "You're going to see her tomorrow?"

Alex plopped down on the couch, "Yeah."

"You're whipped," Marcus smirked.

Alex hit him with a couch pillow, "Shut up."

"You're screwed," Sarah added.

"I know," Alex groaned.