Palm Trees and Power Lines

Chapter 1: Over

Summary:  Sort-of future fic.  Summer breaks Seth's heart and all he could think to do was leave… but will she find him again, and will he want her back if she does? 

Rating: PG-13… you never know.  Right now it's not bad… but future chapters… yeah

Disclaimer:  I own nada… not "The O.C." or the actors… and unfortunately Sugarcult owns every song in this fic… darn it..

A/N:  Well, here's another fic for you're enjoyment… I used to be Capt'nOats13… but I changed that, and deleted those stories… umm…. Now I have a new one, Last Kiss (short, complete) and this one… Palm Trees and Power Lines… Each/most chapters will have the title of a new Sugarcult song from the CD "Palm Trees and Power Lines"  this one is the song "Over"…. Hope you like it!  Be cool and review!

Seth Cohen stared idly out the window, waiting, waiting for her.  It was his 18th birthday and also the day of his graduation.  There was a huge party going on in his house, yet none of it seemed to matter, because she wasn't there.  His girlfriend of a year and a half was no where in sight.  At first, he assumed she was just late again- as she always was.  An hour passed, yet he still figured it was a combination of her usual lateness and the Friday night traffic.  The second hour passed and he began to worry.  He dialed her house and her cell, yet no one answered either.  Still he tried to find logical reasoning for this, and he sat waiting.  Finally his thoughts were broken by a booming voice.

"Seth!" called his sort-of-brother, Ryan Atwood.  This was the first time all night he had seen him.  Ryan approached the sullen Cohen sitting by the window and put his hand on his shoulder.  "Seth, come on.  You have to let it go.  Maybe she has something really important going on.  It is Summer we're talking about here.  Maybe she had like, a hair appointment or something."

"What's more important than her boyfriend's birthday and a graduation party?"  Seth asked, but more to himself than Ryan.  "I've been there for her for everything.  I was there when her father had a heart attack, and when he was okay again.  I was there when her 'parents' went on a month-long 'business trip' that was only supposed to last a week.  I was there when that Grady guy came on to her in his limo.  I was always there for her, and just this one time I ask her to be here for me, and where is she?  Who knows?"

"Seth, just chill, okay?  There's a big party going on out there for you, and you're missing it.  So forget about Summer for once, and go have some fun," Ryan tried to convince him.

"Okay, in a minute.  Let me just make one more call," Seth told him and walked into the kitchen.  He picked up the phone and dialed Summer's cell once more.

Everybody's watching you

Breathing in your every move

Look around when the world is empty

Look around if you're guilty

**Ring**

**Ring**

**Ring**

"Hello?" he heard Summer's voice echo through the phone. 

"Summer, finally!  Where are you?"  Seth asked, happy that he finally got a hold of her.  "I've been trying to get you forever!"

"I'm outside!" she called as he saw her waving through the door.  He hung up his phone and ran out to her, enveloping her in a hug. 

"So, you actually did graduate," he joked, stepping away.  "I knew you could do it."

"Funny, Cohen.  Be happy I'm here.  I could be, like, shopping…or something," she retorted, giving him a small kiss.  "So, let's get into the party, because we both know that there is no party until Summer Roberts is there."

The two walked into the party, seeing familiar faces and some not so familiar faces. 

"Hey, looks like she showed up after all," Ryan said to Seth.  "We thought you'd never come."  He and Summer exchanged strange glances that went unnoticed by Seth.  "Well, I'll…err… see you guys later.  Bye!" he finished and walked off.

"Ryan's acting unusually chipper today," Seth remarked as his 'brother' trotted away.  "Wait…forget I just said the word chipper.  Let's go."

Summer laughed and the two waded through more people, stopping to chat with some, and trying their best to avoid others.  Somehow, the two made it up to Seth's room, which really wasn't their main plan… oh well.

"You know, Summer, I know you can't keep your hands off of me, but we could have at least stayed at the party a little longer," he joked, kicking his door closed as Summer kissed him. 

"You want to go back down?" she asked, pulling away and heading for the door.  "Because I'm okay with it… I just thought you might want your birthday present."

"Oh no, no, no I really don't want to see those people… I see them every day!  But this… well this doesn't happen every day… more like every other and… well… ahem… yeah let's not go back," Seth rambled as Summer pushed him back onto the bed. 

"Cohen?" she asked, sitting on his lap.

"Yes?" he questioned in response.

"Shut up!" she replied and started kissing him furiously…

Everybody's after you

I wait in line to touch you

Look around if you ever miss me

Look because it kills me

*   *    *    *

The next morning, Seth woke up, a smile plastered on his face.  He received the best birthday present ever last night- well, not ever, considering last year's was along the same lines- but amazing none-the-less.  He rolled over and reached his arms out for Summer… only, she wasn't there.

"Hmm, that's funny.  Where could she be?"  Seth asked himself, and glanced at the clock: 12:23.  "That explains it; I wish she would have wakened me up before she left though!  Oh well, I'll go see her…if she's home."

He climbed out of bed, and headed downstairs to see that no one was home… not even Ryan.

"No one thought to wake me up," he grunted, as he grabbed a box of Fruity Pebbles from the cabinet and poured them into his bowl.  He finished his breakfast and saw the mailman drive by.  "I guess I'll go get the mail."

He walked down the driveway, noticing Ryan pull down the shades to the pool house as he approached the mailbox.

"Well, at least I know they didn't totally abandon me," he mumbled to himself, wondering why Ryan was closing his shades.  He only did that when… "Marissa," he sighed.  "So they're finally back together.  Thank God."

He pulled the mail out of the box and flipped through it, looking at the return addresses on each…

"Bill, bill, junk, junk, University of Pennsylvania, postcard- wait!  University of Pennsylvania!?  I applied there!"  he quickly threw the rest of the mail back in the box, and ripped open the envelope.  After a few seconds of reading, he seemed to jump 10 feet in the air.  "YES!" he screamed.  "I got in!  I got in!  Ivy Leagues, here I come!" 

Seth had to tell someone, so he ran down to the pool house.  He burst through the door yelling the words "I got accepted!" but soon froze as he saw what was in front of him.  Ryan was in bed with a girl… but it wasn't Marissa. 

It's over

There's nothing you can do

There's nothing you can say

To keep me here

It's over

You say we're just friends

Well play and pretend to keep me here

"Summer?" Seth asked, in almost a whisper.  "Ryan?  What- why-"

"Look, Seth, I can explain," Summer pleaded, a look of worry in her eyes. 

"So that's why you were late last night…and why you left this morning.  So you could be with my … my brother?" he asked, more to himself than Summer. 

"Seth, it's not what you think!" Summer said, giving Ryan a sideways glance.

Now it finally kicked in, and so did his anger. 

"What?  You accidentally fell on Ryan and managed to remove all of your clothing, accidentally?  Right.  God, I can't believe you," he yelled in disgust, hurt, and anger, then turned to Ryan.  "And you!  You're my brother… well at least I thought you were.  How could you?  You know how much I love her… how could you?!"

"Seth, look, it's not what it looks like!" he offered, but Seth wasn't buying.

"I've had enough.  I came down here to tell you something… but you know what, I don't care anymore.  God… how could you?" he said, throwing down his acceptance letter and walking out of the pool house.

Every night I lay in bed

I think about the things you said

Look around, I'm the one, your only

Look around it still kills me

"What's that?" Summer asked, pulling her shirt on and picking up the letter.  After reading it, tears filled her eyes, as she realized that he was going to leave, and not give her a chance to explain, or try and fix everything.  "He got accepted to the University of Pennsylvania."

"That's great!" Ryan exclaimed.  "He's always wanted to get into an Ivy League school.  I'm proud of him."

"No…no…no," she cried.

"Summer, what's wrong?  Aren't you happy for him?" Ryan asked.

"He's going to leave!  He's never going to forgive me!  I'll never be with him again!  Ryan I made a huge mistake… and now… now I'm going to have to suffer forever," she cried, but then another realization hit her.  "Ryan…no…no… Anna is in Pennsylvania.  What if they get back together?  What if Seth forgets about me? Ryan I love him!"

She covered her mouth, realizing what she just said.  She had never been in love with anyone…and claimed she never would- that's why she slept with Ryan.  She felt like she was getting too close to Seth… that she had to get over him before he hurt her.  And now… now she screwed herself over.

"Then go tell him that!" Ryan said.  "Tell him you're sorry, and that we made a big mistake.  Tell him that you love him!"

"I can't… he won't listen anyway," Summer replied.

"You won't know if you don't try," he told her.  "Now go talk to him."

"You're right.  Thanks," she gave him a hug and headed up to Seth's room.  She walked in to see him packing his things.

It's over

There's nothing you can do

There's nothing you can say

To keep me here

It's over

You say we're just friends

Well play and pretend to keep me here

"Seth?" she asked, walking up to him.  "Can we talk?"

"No," he stated simply, throwing a bunch of CDs into a bag. 

"Seth, please," she begged.  "I need to explain."

"Summer, there's nothing you can say!  You slept with my brother, God damn it!" he exclaimed, turning around to face her.  His height advantage showed, as he towered almost a foot over her.  She looked so weak, and helpless. 

Summer looked into his eyes.  They were cold, and filled with hurt and anger.  They weren't his normal, dancing brown eyes.  She felt afraid, seeing him this way.  "Why are you packing?" she changed the subject. 

"I'm leaving," he replied simply, turning back to his things.

"Seth, you can't go!  School doesn't start for another year.  Where are you going to stay out there?" she pressed.  "You can't go!"

"I can, and I will!  Summer, it's over!  We're over, this is over, everything is over!  You slept with my brother and now… now I'm leaving and there's nothing you can say to keep me here!" Seth exclaimed, slamming his suitcase shut.  "Just leave!"

It's over, To keep me here

It's over, To keep me here

It's over, To keep me here

It's over, To keep me here

Doesn't anyone care?

Doesn't anyone care?

Doesn't anyone care?

Doesn't anyone care?

Tears filled Summer's eyes as she turned and headed for the door.  She ran down the steps, out the door, and down into the pool house.  "Can you take me home?" she asked Ryan as she walked in.  "Please."

"Sure," he said and ushered her out the door knowing exactly what happened.

Everybody's watching you

And counting down your every move

Look around when your heartbeat's empty

Look around if it's guilty

It's over

You say we're just friends

Well play and pretend to keep me here

It's over

There's nothing you can do

There's nothing you can say

To keep me here

It's over

You say we're just friends

It's almost the end

I'm outta here

It's over

I'm outta here

A/N: Well?  Like it?  Love it?  Hate it?  Review por favor!