"Coop, you are so drunk!" a short, dark-haired girl gushed as she stumbled sloppily down the sidewalk, arm in arm with the lanky brunette. Marissa, who hadn't been able to stop laughing since they left the club, grinned widely and dragged her friend another step. Summer tried to keep up with the giant, haphazard strides.

"Mmnot!" Marissa slurred in response, provoking another fit of laughter upon hearing her voice less-than-convincingly echo down the darkened streets. Tripping over onto the grass of someone's front lawn, she reached out for her best friend.

"Summer!" she screamed between breathless laughs.

"Shut up! People are sleeping!" Summer whispered back conspiratorially, trying not to laugh along with the taller girl. Ignoring the warning Marissa rolled onto her back and screamed again.

"SUMMER!!! You bitch! Get over here!" She laughed manically at the paranoid-looking girl's face.

"You are SUCH A LOSER!" Summer yelled back, betraying her real thoughts with a huge smile, still struggling to repress her laughter. "Now get up, loser. We've got another bunch of blocks to walk."

"I like it here," Marissa breathed out. She stretched languidly, running her fingers through the short green spikes. "It's so green and lush."

"You're a lush. Now let's go!"

Grabbing hold of Marissa's hand, she yanked hard. With a grunt of effort, Marissa stumbled to her feet. They stood on the sidewalk, glancing around curiously at the unfamiliar streets. Marissa bit a nail as she looked around, realizing that she was quite hungry now.

"Which way?" she finally asked, although she honestly didn't care about the answer. Summer shrugged her shoulders. The taller girl looked at her inquisitively.

"You don't know?"

"Nope!" It was Summer's turn to launch into a fit of giggles at their situation. "I can't read! Too blurry!" She laughed harder. On any other night, Marissa may have found the situation somewhat frightening but she had a few more triple screwdrivers than normal. It made the circumstances more amusing than problematic.

"You're such a retard, Sum!" she yelled and pushed her friend lightly. Summer howled and staggered out into the road. There was a flash of light and he squeal of rubber on asphalt. The small girl froze in the headlights until the vehicle stopped inches from her. At that point, a small bubble of laughter escaped, followed soon by heavier laughter, as she stood rooted to the spot. A horn blasting through the quiet neighbourhood shut her up. Trying to restrain her own giggles, Marissa purposefully marched towards the car, trying her best to be intimidating. Unfortunately her march was neither orderly nor convincing. She would be hard-pressed to follow a zigzag let alone walk a straight line.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she screamed at the car, blinded by the headlights. "Learn to fucking drive, asshole!"

"Yeah, you coulda killed me!" Summer added, prompting both girls to collapse with laughter again. The actual reality of what could have happened just seemed like a joke. The driver of the offending vehicle leant out the window.

"Then don't go pushing your drunk friend into the fuckin' road!"

Marissa and Summer were walking away down the middle of the street, Marissa's middle-finger raised behind her, until the voice became too familiar. She looked back, squinting at the sight before her. It was a black Jeep, but the driver was back inside, purposely putting on the high beams to blind the girls. Walking carefully around the side of the vehicle, she peered in. In her drunken state, she tried to concentrate hard on the face she saw.

"Alex?" There was still that hint of fear in her voice that she had used all those months ago. The blonde looked away for a moment before facing Marissa directly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you recognize me?" Alex was surprised to hear the desperation in the brunette's voice. Did she really care that much if she was remembered? Her self-esteem sure hadn't developed. Reluctantly, Alex nodded.

"You were a little less drunk when I last saw you. I think."

"Marissa continued to stare without saying anything more. Eventually, Alex licked her lips and pointed to the road in front of her.

"Can you please tell Summer to get out of the road? She's seriously going to get hurt."

The brunette was lost in her own world.

"Marissa! Get Summer out of the road."

Marissa glanced over at her friend who was now meandering aimlessly around while she waited for Marissa to finish talking. However, she made no effort to do as Alex asked. She was still too mystified by her discovery. Alex slammed her palms on the steering wheel and put the Jeep into park.

"You people are useless," she grumbled and got out of the car. "Summer, get your drunk ass over here!" Opening the passenger side door, she helped the girl into the seat. Marissa merely continued to watch curiously. Alex faced her.

"Are you gonna puke?" she asked the taller girl.

"I might!" Summer chimed happily from behind her. Rolling her eyes, Alex pushed Marissa into the backseat. She pulled Summer's seatbelt into place before getting back into the driver's seat. Marissa chuckled to herself in the back. Glancing at her in the rear-view mirror, Alex huffed out an exasperated sigh.

"Put on your seatbelt, Riss."

Obeying Alex's command, Marissa sat back with a satisfied grin. Summer hummed along, painfully out of tune, to the music on the stereo. Alex pushed the Jeep into drive and headed in the same direction the girls had been walking.

"What are you guys doing here?" Alex asked, finally breaking into conversation as they stopped at a red light.

"We were out on Sunset or Hollywood or... Girls night or something," Summer explained, occasionally struggling with vocabulary. Alex raised an eyebrow disbelievingly.

"Sunset? That's a long walk from here."

"Is it?" Summer giggled. "We have no idea where we are."

"Well, you're near my place. Venice."

"No shit," Summer said in awe.

"That's fucked up!" Marissa agreed, sounding like she was trying to impress someone. The two girls immediately started a fast-paced, but mostly incoherent, conversation about how far they were and something about parties in Venice Beach. Cutting off the obnoxious chatter, Alex interrupted with a serious question she hoped one of them would be able to answer.

"Where are you guys staying? Cos I'm not driving you all the way to Newport."

Silence pervaded the Jeep. They all listened to the roar of traffic outside. Summer began humming to the radio again despite not knowing the song. Alex quickly shut it off.

"Seriously. I'm not driving you home." Tonight, Alex wasn't up to playing games with the two Newport girls.

"How about to your house?" Marissa asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"What?"

"What Coop is trying to say is we have no clue where we're supposed to be but we need somewhere to crash."

Alex studied the girl beside her for a moment. "That's the most sense you made all night, Summer," she said with a smirk. The idea normally would be a good one. But Marissa and Summer were not Alex's normal L.A. friends. They were people from a part of her life that she was trying to forget. And up until tonight, she was being quite successful with it. She let out a dramatic sigh.

"Fine," Alex conceded, "But you leave tomorrow and don't puke all over the place. You make a mess, you clean it up. Get it?"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!" Summer said with a salute. Marissa hooted with approval in the backseat. Summer banged on the stereo, clumsily trying to figure out how to turn it back on.

"Now let's hear some tunes, bitches!" she yelled as she cranked up the volume.

As soon as the door was unlocked, the two drunk girls piled into the apartment with immediate whines of 'I'm so hungry!' and 'I'm so thirsty!'. Alex watched them for a few moments as they wandered around, completely confused as to where anything was. She ran a hand over her tired face. She was only going to be more tired when this night was over. She walked over to the middle of the room.

"Okay, well, before you two raid my fridge, we're gonna work something out."

Both girls regarded her coolly. Alex could tell they were trying to pay attention but it wasn't quite clicking. Marissa squinted at her, struggling to concentrate and make sense of the sounds coming from her hostess' mouth.

"I have a sofa. And a bed. I'll take the sofa, and you two can share the bed. Is that cool?"

Summer scrunched up her nose at the idea. "No! I hate sharing a bed with her." She pointed at Marissa who looked slightly offended. "You don't know how annoying it is!" Summer finished, and then a flush crept onto her cheeks as she looked at Alex.

"Nevermind. You do," she mumbled and pretended to be distracted by the various music posters adorning the walls.

"Well, then it's up to you, Summer. Do you want to share a bed with me or do you want the sofa?"

"Why does she get to choose?" Marissa asked, confused by Alex's priorities.

"Because you are a pain in the ass sometimes," Alex said with a small smile. "So Summer?"

Summer made a show of her decision-making although it was pretty obvious what she was going to choose. She could feel how uncomfortable Alex was already with the situation and nothing she could imagine would be more awkward than sleeping with Marissa's ex-girlfriend as Marissa slept in the living room. That would make for an interesting conversation on the drive home.

"I'll take the sofa."

Alex nodded and looked hesitantly at Marissa who was still trying to figure out why Summer got choice. The tall brunette clearly was not thinking about the implications of their sleeping arrangement.

"Okay, now I'll show you where the food is," Alex said, smiling at Summer, who, even in her intoxicated state of mind, was more aware than Marissa about what had just been decided. She followed the blonde into the small kitchen. Marissa tagged along behind the other two girls. Summer began helping herself to chips and a glass of water. Alex merely watched her to make sure she didn't hurt herself or break any dishes. Marissa slowly sidled up behind Alex, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist loosely and resting her chin on her shoulder. Alex jumped at the contact, but calmed herself quickly. She could smell the crisp scent of vodka on the others girl's breath.

Summer glanced at the two out of the corner of her eye, and tried not to notice the look of contentment on her best friend's face and the look of uneasiness on their hostess. She poured a glass of water for her friend. Sobering up slightly, she knew that Marissa was going to get herself into trouble if she didn't do the same. It may seem like a good idea to her addled brain, but it would no doubt cause friction. But Summer couldn't help but see how Marissa's body language changed around the other girl.

She was relaxed, almost playful. She was comfortable. And that was no small feat for Marissa. She had known Marissa for years and 'comfortable' was not in her stash of personality traits. It was funny the truths that would come out when Marissa drank. Although, it may just be a less obvious method to prevent herself from falling over.

Spinning to face them quickly, Summer held out the glass of water for her friend. She waited patiently for Marissa to reach out and take it but the tall girl made no move to do so. She heard Alex take a quick breath and looked up from the balancing act of the two glasses and bowl of chips in her hand to the faces of the other two girls. Marissa's eyes were closed, her face pressed against Alex's cheek, her arms wrapped much tighter around her ex-girlfriend than before. Alex too had her eyes closed, but a look of turmoil on her face as her eyebrows creased together.

It was an uncomfortable situation for Summer. She pursed her lips and tried to think of the best way to break the moment. Figuring there wasn't any easy, un-embarrassing way, she cleared her throat loudly. Alex's eyes shot open as she pulled away from Marissa, quickly retreating to her bedroom. Looking confused for a few moments, Marissa watched her go before turning to Summer and grabbing the offered glass of water.

The shorter girl glared at Marissa who had a smirk plastered on her face.

"What?" she asked innocently, taking a gulp of the cold water.

"Don't even think about it, Coop."

Marissa feigned innocence and grabbed at some of her friend's chips. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. It may seem like a fun thing to do right now, but sober up and see if you think the same."

Marissa scowled at the demand. "You don't understand."

Summer laughed derisively and wandered back to the sofa. "Oh yes I do."

"No, you don't," Marissa pouted and followed her friend into the living room, plopping herself in front of the TV, her head spinning slightly at the sudden action. It was Summer's turn to roll her eyes.

"She's not your girlfriend anymore, Marissa. You can't treat people like toys."

"As if I'm having this conversation with you, Summer."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The conversation was taking a turn for the worse. Summer didn't want Marissa to answer her question. She just wanted to go to sleep and hope for the best come morning. Taking a swig of water, she banged the cup down on the coffee table. Marissa jumped at the sound.

"You know what? Don't even answer that," Summer groaned and tried to lie down, propping a pillow under her head. She kicked Marissa gently, nudging her over.

"Fine."

"Good."

Marissa sighed loudly and pushed Summer's feet away from her. Summer promptly kicked Marissa again, moving her feet back to where they were.

"You're too drunk to fight with me, Coop," Summer warned softly, yawning loudly. "And I'm too tired to argue with you because you make no sense. Ever." She rolled over to face the back of the sofa. Her friend pulled a blanket off the armrest on her side and tossed it onto Summer's head. The brunette growled and threw it back.

"Just go to bed," she mumbled, giving Marissa one last kick. "And go to sleep."

Marissa tried to tiptoe quietly into Alex's bedroom but only managed to trip over the laundry basket and smash into a dresser, prompting a short laugh. She stripped out of her clothes, down to her bra and panties, and crawled under the thin sheets. Alex came into the room from the bathroom. Marissa glanced up at her in the dim light. Without saying anything to her ex-girlfriend, Alex climbed into bed beside her. Marissa let out a long, loud, overly-dramatic sigh.

"No kicking," Alex informed Marissa, letting a small yawn slip.
"I don't kick."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't."
"Yeah, you do."
"Don't pick a fight with me, Alex."
"You started it," the blonde mumbled and turned away.
"You did."
"Whatever."

Marissa huffed to herself again and lay back against the pillows. The room still spun slightly and it reminded her a little too much of many other nights with Alex. Except this night was different because Alex wasn't in the mood for games and didn't seem particularly interested in anything else either. Why were both the girls choosing to argue with her now? Marissa rolled to face Alex.

"Alex?" she asked softly.
"What?" The response was less than welcoming.

Marissa bit her lip before continuing. "Are you glad to see me?" Her inebriated brain didn't realize that this was probably not a good question to ask her ex-girlfriend and it was definitely not a good time.

"No. Not really," Alex growled.
"Why?" Yes, Marissa, good idea! Keep pushing a subject that is just going to get you two fighting again! the sane part of her mind screamed sarcastically.
"Because I don't like you."

Marissa sneered at the response. "You're a fucking liar, Alex Kelly."
"Shut up and go to sleep. I don't want to talk about this with you anymore."
"Don't tell me to shut up," Marissa complained, seemingly trying to push all of Alex's buttons at once. "Tell me why."

"Because I've learnt to hate you. I didn't ask for you to show up here. It took a hell of a long time to get over you and the hurt you caused me, but now I did and I hate you for it instead."

Alex knew the effect her words would have. But it didn't matter. The girl wouldn't remember anything in the morning anyway and a small part of her took pleasure in inflicting pain in retaliation for her escapades with Ryan. Marissa was silent for a moment, reeling from the painful sting of Alex's words. Her mind tried to process what was going on but only one thing was getting through: She hates me. She tried to compose herself as she drew in a shaky breath. Alex heard the noise.

"Sorry. Look, just go to sleep and we'll talk later," she mumbled.
"K," Marissa murmured in response, sliding down deeper under the blanket. Something just wasn't adding up in Marissa's brain.

It didn't make sense to her, although not much of anything would. She gave up on trying to make it make sense. Instead, she moved closer to her ex-girlfriend until she was pressed up against Alex's back. The blonde shifted away slightly. Marissa didn't back off. She slipped an arm around Alex's waist, her fingers skimming lightly over any exposed skin. She could feel Alex's muscles tense but she didn't push Marissa away.

Not thinking, Marissa leant over and kissed softly along Alex's jaw, pausing to tug on her earlobe with her teeth.

"Stop it, Marissa. Now." Alex's voice didn't sound pleased at all.
"Do you still hate me?" Marissa purred sending reverberations through Alex's body.
"Yes," Alex said forcefully and pushed Marissa away but the taller girl dragged her over so they both were lying on their backs.
"Trying to have drunken sex with me isn't going to change anything."
"Yes, it would." Marissa couldn't form a more complex response. She just reached out for Alex again getting a slap on the hand in return.

"No, it wouldn't! It's not that easy!" Alex's voice rose to an almost yell as she faced the brunette with blazing eyes. "Maybe that's how you people fix things in Newport, but I'm not from there. So just leave me the fuck alone!"

Surprised by Alex's outburst, Marissa glared at her through the dim light. "What the hell is your problem?" Marissa finally snapped at her ex-girlfriend. She was irrationally angry now.

"My problem? Maybe my problem is that you think you can just show up, get drunk, fuck me, and then go on your merry way, not caring at all about what I might feel!"

"I don't think that!"
"Then prove it and go to sleep!"

The air was ripe with tension. If clouds formed from human arguments, there would be one hell of a thunderstorm overhead now. Marissa clenched her jaw angrily and tried to stare down the defiant blonde who was doing such a good job of turning her down.

"Fine. But you don't have to be such a fucking bitch about it," Marissa grumbled, mostly to herself as she turned away.

"Yeah, cause I'm the bitch, right? Little Miss Rich Bitch doesn't get what she wants, when she wants and it's everybody else's fault. Well, Marissa, you can just go fuck yourself then." Alex was seething at the accusation, and now that she was awake, she was going to fight it out. Flinging the sheets off, Marissa swung back over to face the angry girl.

"No, fuck you, Alex! Maybe I'm upset cos someone who meant a lot to me has just admitted that she fucking hates my guts! Why don't you take your own advice and try thinking about someone other than yourself!"

"Meant a lot to you? Since when? Am I supposed to be touched that you cared about me? I'M NOT. You didn't show me then and you sure have a fucking funny way of showing it now."

"Believe what you want," Marissa growled. "I was fucking in love you, Alex." Her voice lowered perceptibly but lost none of its edge. Alex felt like rolling her eyes but bit down hard on her tongue instead until she calmed down slightly.

"No. You were drunk and horny. And you used me. If you think that's love, then you've got a pathetic life ahead of you."
For the first time, Marissa felt the overwhelming urge to punch the other girl in the face. She couldn't believe the way Alex was dismissing her confessions. Of course, she couldn't really believe those words were actually coming out of her own mouth. She didn't think she would have ever admitted it out loud. Somehow, after all the lonely months, she felt more confident. Or maybe that was the alcohol.

"Fuck off. If you don't believe me, fine! But don't you dare tell me how I felt!"

"Oh so, dumping me for the next piece of ass to come along was a sign of your unwavering devotion?"

"You dumped me!" Marissa remembered things differently than Alex. "You came to my bonfire to beat the shit out of Ryan."

"You're the one who started saying all that shit about wanting things to have worked out."

"You said you're going back home! That's what sealed it. Don't try to push all the blame on me!"

"What else would I do, Marissa? Sit around and watch you and Ryan gush over each other?"

"If you had stayed maybe it would have been different!" Marissa was beyond annoyed with the argument at this point. Now she wished she had just gone to sleep when she was told to.

"But it wasn't!" Alex yelled, wanting to push Marissa out of bed, out of her house, and out of her life for the last time. Marissa saw the anger flashing in Alex's eyes and knew they were approaching the pinnacle of the night. Instead of letting her anger go overboard, she did the only other thing she could think off. She lurched quickly over to the blonde and pressed her lips hard against hers. Alex had no hesitations about pulling the younger girl on top of her, clutching her tightly. Marissa splayed her fingers through the strands of blonde hair, never lessening the concentrated pressure on the other girl's mouth. Her hips ground into the body below her as a hot hand slipped under Marissa's underwear, pulling her ass closer.

Pulling back only a few millimetres, Marissa gazed down on the girl under girl. Blue eyes shone back at her, full of equal desire.

"Do you still hate me?" Marissa asked, her voice deep and husky.

Alex smirked. "Very much."

"You're so hard to please," Marissa murmured between kisses along the blonde's neck, eliciting a small moan.

The moment Alex was able to catch her breath again, her mind seemed to whirl with the consequences of what was happening. As quickly as Marissa had pounced, Alex pushed her off, leaving a very confused girl staring at her.

"Don't. I can't."

Marissa cocked her head as the words sunk in. A mischievous grin slowly spread over her face. "But I can," she purred, moving to trail hot kisses down Alex's stomach. Soon she felt two hands push her back again. But not before she had felt the goosebumps and the shallow breathing of the other girl.

"Please, Riss. We can't," she begged, for the first time that night actually sounding hurt and upset.

"Why?"

"Because you're drunk."

"So?"

"Give it a week. Get sober. Then if you still feel the same, give me a call. I can guarantee it would be something we both regret in the morning."

"You don't know that." Marissa was on the verge of crying. Alex smoothed strands of brown hair back from her ex-girlfriend's face.

"Yeah, I do." She leant up and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Now, let's just go to sleep, okay?" Marissa nodded and slid down beside Alex. She insisted on being close to the blonde. Cuddling up to her, she took a long breath, wondering if Alex was right about regret. She could think of nothing more that she wanted to do right now than be with Alex. She couldn't imagine how she would regret it in the morning. She'd been waiting for months to see her again and now they were together, in bed, and both trying to not act on their feelings. Nevertheless, she closed her eyes, breathed in the familiar scent of the girl beside her, and tried to go to sleep.

Summer woke up to the sound of loud banging outside the open window. She rolled over to drown out the sound but a jackhammer began pounding at the cement. Groaning at the thunderous pounding outside and inside her head, she crawled off the couch. Somehow, neither Marissa or Alex were up yet. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was half past ten in the morning. That was later than she usually slept after a night of hard drinking. She grasped the glass of warm water in both hands, taking a greedy gulp. There was nothing worse for hangovers and cottonmouth than stale, lukewarm water, she thought to herself grudgingly. Walking slowly to the kitchen she refilled the cup with cold water before using the bathroom.

When she walked back out into the living room, she took a harder look around. The night before, it had just been a blur of colours. Now she noticed a peculiar wall decoration above the sofa. Taking another huge swig of water, she knelt on the sofa for a closer look. It was a collage of photographs of Alex and her friends. Most of the faces were unfamiliar: various girls and boys, some surfers, artists, a lot of pictures of rock bands. There were a few of Seth. Not many. They were cute nonetheless. Summer wondered how often they took photos together. For some reason, she never pictured Alex as the kind of girl to take a lot of photos. The collage would imply otherwise.

It was with a sense of satisfaction that she saw a picture of herself. There was only one, and she was with Zach, Lindsay, and Ryan. Somehow, this made her feel special to be included in this mass of people that Alex seemed to want to remember. The striking thing was how many there were of Marissa. Far more than she had of Seth.

Summer wasn't sure what to make of the photographs of her best friend. It was like looking at a different person. There wasn't a single one that Marissa didn't look completely happy or content in. She studied the strange pictures. Arms wrapped tightly around each other, both smiling widely, Marissa and Alex stood on the beach. Her eyes skimmed over to a more up-close image of the girls, Marissa's lips pressed against Alex's cheek. There was the curve of a smile on the brunette's lips, no doubt triggered by the huge smile of the girl she was kissing. There were plenty more like this. In every single photograph, they were touching, pressed snugly together as if they were one being. For a moment, she wondered how Ryan could have come between something that seemed so real.

"Hey." Alex's voice pierced through Summer's daydreaming. She walked into the kitchen, pulling a large plastic mug down from the shelf. She glanced curiously at Summer who was looking at her strangely.

"I was just looking at your pictures," Summer explained, her cheeks flushing faintly.

"Yeah."

"They're really... happy."

Alex chuckled derisively. "Well, we don't tend to take pictures of the bad moments," she said in quiet voice, an edge of melancholy evident. Summer slunk down into the cushions, still watching the blonde bartender. She took another sip of her water. Alex tossed a bottle of Advil to her for her hangover. Summer nodded her thanks and took one.

"So, what happened?" She couldn't help being curious about the whole thing. Marissa had said very little about anything really.

She would dance around the subject with broad, sweeping statements or just plain out refuse to talk about it. Alex bit her lip and looked at Summer suspiciously. The brunette merely gazed back at her expectantly.

"Honestly," Alex started quietly, "I don't know. Maybe it was too much, too fast. Who knows." She walked over and sat beside the Newport girl, leaning back into the pillows. "Marissa doesn't know what she wants, but she knows what she doesn't want."

Summer nodded, thinking about the statement. "Sounds about right. But sometimes you just have to be patient with her and she'll surprise you. Do you still love her?" she asked innocently. Alex glared at her briefly. Summer laughed uncomfortably. "Message received! Bad question." She paused for a moment. "I don't even need to ask. Of course you do."

"Did."

"Sure, sure. That's why you have, like, six million pictures of her on your wall."

"You know," Alex said awkwardly, "Heart-to-hearts aren't really my thing. I'll go wake her up so you two can get on the road."

As the blonde stood up, there was a knock at the door. Another girl about the same age burst into the room. She had light brown hair, tied back in a bouncy ponytail. She carried a six-pack of beer under one arm. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Summer sitting on the couch. Alex looked nervously between the two girls. The visitor's stare slowly moved to Alex.

"Hey babe, what's going on?"

"Um, this is Summer. She's from Newport. Her and a friend needed a place to crash last night."

"I see." The new girl brushed by Alex and Summer, dumping the beer in the fridge. "I was hoping we'd go out and do something today. Just us." She glared once again at Summer.

"I'm just going to go get..." Summer trailed off and quickly made her way to the bedroom. When she returned, with a very hungover and tired Marissa in tow, Alex and the girl were talking quietly in the kitchen. Marissa looked curiously at the stranger. She grabbed her purse from the table.

"Well, Alex, thanks so much. We're going to try and find my car now," Summer chimed, trying to mask her discomfort. Marissa was still staring at the intertwined fingers of the stranger and Alex. "Let's go, Coop," Summer continued, tugging at Marissa's arm.

"Cooper? Marissa Cooper?" the stranger asked in surprise. She glared at Alex momentarily and then at the wall of photos before looking back at the taller girl standing confused in the living room.

"Yeah, you are?" Marissa asked, her voice laced with distrust and hurt.

"Sarah. Alex's girlfriend."

Marissa's eyes narrowed at the announcement and she looked to Alex for confirmation. The blonde ducked her gaze away. Alex had obviously told Sarah something about her. An unfounded wave of jealousy passed through Marissa as she continued to stare angrily at the new person in Alex's life. Then she remembered Alex's unwillingness to do anything the night before. She quickly turned and stalked towards the door. Summer looked at Alex as the blonde watched Marissa go to leave. There was something in her eyes that betrayed everything she had claimed about not being in love anymore. Summer quickly spoke up.

"Um, you know, it's a really long way to Sunset and I'm feeling gross. Could you give us a quick ride, Alex?"

Glancing at Summer, Alex nodded silently. Sarah frowned at her girlfriend.

"You know what? Take your time," she seethed, pushing past Alex and almost shoving Marissa out of the way on her way out of the apartment. Alex sighed and looked at the carpet. She snatched her keys and followed Sarah out.

"Let's go then," she barked at Summer and Marissa who followed her obediently.

They didn't share more than a brusque goodbye when Alex dropped the girls off on the strip. Alex didn't even give them a wave. The whole ride had been uncomfortable and silent. The L.A. girl avoided conversation and eye contact. Marissa was hoping for some sort of acknowledgment but none came. Alex quickly sped off to track down Sarah, leaving Summer and Marissa standing on the sidewalk, each lost in their own world.

It had been two months since Summer had stumbled drunkenly in front of Alex's Jeep. Neither the girl from Newport not the ex-Newport resident called the other. Marissa and Summer went about their normal life, almost succeeding in pretending nothing happened that night. Alex hadn't bothered to fight with Sarah about Marissa. They had come to a less than amicable end, Sarah's own jealously and suspicion pushed too far by the knowledge her girlfriend had shared a bed with the Newport girl that she had been so in love with. Alex wondered how long she was going to continue losing people to the haunting memories of Marissa. Even in her sleep she couldn't forget the feel of Marissa's lips, her hands, her body that night.

She took a sharp turn onto the PCH south.

Summer scanned the framed photographs on her friend's dresser. Still the same four pictures of Ryan. She marvelled at the difference between Marissa's choice of photos to display and Alex's. Suddenly a realization popped into her head.

"Coop, why don't you have any pics of us? I mean, I'm like, your best friend, right?" she called.

Marissa wandered back into her bedroom and shrugged. "I don't need pictures to remind me of you," she smiled.

"But you need a whole gallery of Mr. Chino?"

Marissa rolled her eyes and pushed Summer out the door. "It's complicated. Come on. We're going to be late for school."

The tires screeched against the hot blacktop as they pulled into the Harbor Prep parking lot. The warning bell had just rung signalling that they had ten minutes to get to homeroom. The girls sprinted to their lockers, parting ways at the stairs. Marissa yelled after Summer that she'd meet her in class.

Fumbling around, Marissa pulled out a worn textbook on economics. She never understood why she'd agree to such a boring class first thing in the morning. Other students were flooding the hallways, making sure to get to class before the next bell rang.

Summer ran breathlessly up to the taller girl.

"Hurry up," she urged. Then she saw a familiar figure walking towards them. Marissa was oblivious as she continued to root around for the supplementary reader. Suddenly her locker was thrown shut and she jumped back, only to bump hard into the person behind her. She swung around, thinking it was Seth trying to piss her off. Summer's look of utter confusion made her rethink that idea.

Alex stood close, her hand still resting on the locker door. Marissa swallowed nervously. Alex looked angry. Again.

"Alex," she said, shocked.

"How much do you care about me?" Alex wasn't wasting time with greetings.

"What? I don't under-."

Alex cut her off by mirroring her actions two months earlier and pressing her body against the cool metal, capturing her mouth. Marissa let out a soft moan at the contact, her back arching slightly into the other girl. Summer scratched her ear and looked around uncomfortably. People were staring as they rushed to class. Alex pulled back and stared hard at the surprised girl.

"Al, I'm at school," she whispered urgently, looking around nervously at the prying eyes of her fellow students.

"I know that. I have been to one or two of these places before," she smiled. Summer tapped Marissa on the shoulder and motioned to the classroom, waving as she walked away. It left Alex and Marissa alone.

"What are you doing here?"

"Are you sober?" Alex asked sharply, ignoring the question.

Marissa looked offended. "Of course I am."

"Well, one can never be too sure with you," Alex mumbled. "I need you to answer something for me so I can just let everything go."

"Let everything go?" Marissa was full of questions and Alex wasn't helping ease her confusion at what was actually happening. Alex moved closer so that their noses were practically grazing. Marissa looked around anxiously.

"You remember two months ago? If you were back there right now, completely sober, would you try to kiss me again? Would you beg to fuck me again?" Alex's voice was loud enough so that passer-by's could hear it. A few boys smirked at the conversation but continued their rush to class. Marissa didn't want to have this conversation in front of the whole school. The gossip would no doubt get around by lunchtime.

"Keep your voice down!" Marissa pleaded. Alex backed away and crossed her arms in front of her chest, a disappointed smirk on her face.

"That's okay. You just answered it for me." She shook her head. Marissa was still confused by the whole exchange. She wasn't sure what Alex was trying to prove. She moved closer to the blonde girl.

"Just because I don't want to be the subject of highschool gossip doesn't mean my answer is no."

The girls attempted to stare each other down. Finally Marissa shrugged. "Besides, you have a girlfriend."

"And you have a boyfriend."

"Not anymore."

"Me neither."

For moment, Marissa's eyes sparkled happily at the news. It dissipated quickly when she realized that it didn't necessarily guarantee anything.

"So was that a yes?" Alex asked, a pleased smile gracing her lips.

"Why don't you take me home and find out?" Marissa asked coyly, stepping even closer. She glanced around at the now near-empty hallway. She moved into kiss the blonde desperately, forgetting that the class she was supposed to be in was right across from them, the doors wide open so all her classmates had a front row seat to the show. Summer caught a glimpse of the kiss, and smiled softly to herself. Anything that could make Marissa truly happy was okay by her. A hoot from one of the impolite water-polo players snapped the girls back to reality. Marissa blushed bright pink, shyly hiding her face from her classmates. PDA with anyone was usually something she didn't do. Even Alex seemed to have a red flush to her cheeks.

"Maybe later. You have to go to class," Alex finally breathed out. She smiled at Marissa. "I know where to find you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Alex moved away from Marissa, who had a small smile on her face. This time there didn't seem to be any of that lingering doubt that had plagued their final weeks together before. Marissa slipped into the classroom just before the shrill ringing of the bell.

Walking away, Alex knew there would be problems. But she had faith in Summer's words: Sometimes you just have to be patient with her and she'll surprise you.

Alex had waited. Now she was ready for a surprise.

End.