Safe With You || Seth Cohen

||52||

"This is so wrong. Like epically tragic." Summer complained about Marissa and Ryan being kicked out of school. I nodded from my seat beside Seth in the booth. Ryan and Marissa sat across from us, and Summer and Ben had pulled up chairs to join us.

"Ah, it's fine. It's really not that bad, guys." Ryan stated. 

"Yeah, I mean Ryan and I don't go to Harbor anymore, but it'll be fine." Marissa stated, glancing at Ryan.

"Not for us." I said sadly, thinking about how much I was going to miss the two of them.

"This was supposed to be the best year ever." Summer said sadly, and I glanced over at her, sharing her sadness.

"Okay, really not...cheering us up here." Ryan stated, and I glanced at him.

"What do you need cheering up for? You guys should be psyched. No mean Dean, no annoying Taylor Townsend." I stated.

"Freedom to do whatever you want..." Summer added.

"Except what I want is to go to school." Marissa stated sadly.

"Well, at least you two have each other. If you stick together, everything will be okay." Ben told Ryan and Marissa, who glanced at each other.

"Deal."

"Deal."

Marissa's phone rang then, and she looked down to see who was calling.

"Hi, Mom... Okay...She wants me home right away to discuss my future." Marissa said, glancing at us and hanging up her phone.

"Alright, we'll hook up again." Ryan said to her with a smile, just as his phone rang.

"Hello? Yeah, I'll be right there." He said, then glanced at us. "Sandy."

"Sooo..."

"Uh, have a good day." Ryan told Marissa, who smiled. 

"Oh thanks Ryan, you too." Seth stated and I glanced at him, making him grin.

"You guys, both have a good day." Summer stated. "Together." Ben added, making Summer smile at him.

"Bye, Ry, Mariss." I called as the two of them left the restaurant, waving at us as they walked out.

"You really believe all that stuff? About Ryan and Marissa sticking together and all that?" Seth asked me and I glanced at him.

"Well, if they can stick together. They've survived a lot, but I don't know if they can survive this."

"I'm gonna need you to hold me." Seth said sadly and I smiled at him. "Come on." 

Seth laid his head on my shoulder, and I laid my head on top of his, appreciating this small moment, hoping that everything really would be okay.

~~~~

I stood in the student lounge with Seth, my eyes widening as I saw a familiar face approaching us.

"Oh God, don't look, Seth." I stated, but Seth turned anyway. "What?"

Unfortunately, Dean Hess saw us and walked up to us.

"Hey, I'm glad I found you two. What do you think about helping with the school's production of South Pacific?"

"Ooh, I'm all for that. Oh, you meant us helping?" Seth stated and I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Considering I happen to know for a fact you two were responsible for Marissa Cooper crashing the carnival, the least you can do is offer to be stage hands for the drama club."