So here's the concluding part. Again, written to 'The End's Not Near', hence the depressing-ness of it all.

p.s. – I have to give a shoutout to two of my reviewers, because they reviewed anonymously, and therefore, I can't reply to them in the normal way. So: 'jess' – I really didn't want to write the summer either, so I skipped to the end. No need for pointless Ryan/Theresa stuff. And to 'anon'- your review cracked me up. Seriously. I hope I made it better for you…

She was surprised at how much they bonded over the summer. It seemed that mutual heartbreak really brought people together.

"You want to go shopping tomorrow?" Summer asked her. She was laying on her stomach, feet kicking in the air, head resting in her left hand, her right one flipping through the channels idly. Taylor looked up from the foot of the bed, where she was sitting on the floor.

"I guess. It's not like I really need anything else. I think I've bought more clothes this summer than I have in my entire life." She sighed, glancing at the TV. "Look, The Valley's on." Summer stopped the channel surfing, throwing the remote next to her.

"I just love you so much-"

"And we're done with that," Summer picked up the remote again, flipping the channel. "Much better," she commented, and they watched a tall, skinny, dark haired boy get sawed in half by a serial killer. Taylor shook her head.

"I do love you," he whispered it, and she knew it was because Theresa must be around. She willed herself to not react.

"So what?" she shot back, not angrily. She wasn't angry anymore, just numb. "It doesn't mean anything." He sighed.

"I have to do this. You know I do."

"No," she laughed, pain stabbing through her chest, "you don't. It's not even your baby. I don't understand, and don't you dare ask me to. I get that you want to help her, but she refused your help, and you followed her anyway. What I don't get is why you say you love me, but you run off with another girl. And I sure as hell don't get why you'd abandon your family."

"Taylor, I can't come back…"

"I think you should stop calling me," she cut in softly. "You're right. You've made your choice, so stick with it. Stop calling me, I'm not part of your life anymore." She hung up, not waiting for an answer.

It had been two weeks, and her heart was already an empty black space.

"We need to get school supplies," she looked up at Summer, who crinkled her face in disgust. "School's starting up in a little, we need to. How about Wednesday?"

"Can't. I have plans with Zach."

"Zach," Taylor sighed, looking back at the TV.

"Yes. The more time I spend with Zach, the less time I have to think about… God, what's his face?" she snapped her fingers like she was trying to pull the name out of the air, "built like a beanpole, curly hair, runs away like a little bitch on a sail boat leaving nothing but a note for his girlfriend who cried and cried over him till the Fourth of July, when she decided she doesn't cry over bitches on boats." She huffed, looking angrily at the TV.

"Seth," Taylor reminded her absently, and Summer glared.

"I was being sarcastic to hide my inner pain."

"I'm done," Summer whispered, leaning her head on Taylor's shoulder. "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep crying."

"I know," Taylor soothed, petting the girl's hair softly. She looked around the Fourth of July party. The Nichols sure knew how to throw a bash… "Let's get a drink," she suggested, pulling her friend over to the bar.

"I'm not Coop," Summer protested.

"I didn't mean alcoholic," Taylor rolled her eyes, ordering two diet Coke's from the bartender. Taking their drinks, they began walking aimlessly.

"Ow!" Summer cried as she bumped into someone, spilling her drink all over him.

"Cold," the guy hissed, "so cold." He held his shirt away from his body, trying to remove the icy liquid from his skin.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," Summer frowned, looking more upset than the situation called for. She overreacted a lot these days.

"It's cool," he assured the girl, smiling. "I'm Zach. I think we had Algebra together last year."

"Yeah." Taylor watched Summer's face as the girl tried to think back. "I didn't really pay attention in math," she apologized. The boy laughed, and Taylor saw him look over Summer appreciatively. Oh no. Luckily, Summer didn't seem interested.

"Well, maybe you know me from water polo?" he persisted, "that's the only other place I really go. That and the comic book store." Summer's head shot up.

"You read comics?"

He laughed,"yeah, I know. Kinda lame."

"And you play water polo?" Taylor didn't like the look in her eyes. "Zach, you said?"

"Stevens. Zach Stevens." He smiled.

They ignored the whispers.

Summer Roberts was friends with Taylor Townsend? What happened to Marissa Cooper? Ryan Atwood wasn't here? He broke up with Taylor Townsend? Seth Cohen had left Summer Roberts? He'd run away to Portland to live with Luke Ward? Ryan Atwood had gone back to Chino with a pregnant ex-girlfriend?

Gossip was like wildfire here, and it followed them as they walked through the halls.

"What's going on?" Summer whispered. "They seem even more… gossipy than usual." Taylor nodded, looking around the quad at the students, who were whispering furiously.

"Maybe something new happened…" Taylor started.

"Oh my God." Summer stopped short, looking in the distance. Taylor's eyes followed her line of sight. Oh my God.

"Oh my God," she repeated breathlessly as the two boys made their way over.

"Hey." Ryan spoke first, breaking the awkward tension.

"Wish me luck," she heard Seth whisper, and they paired off.

"What are you doing here?" she pulled her school books to her chest to hide her shaking hands. This couldn't be happening.

"I'm… um, I'm back," he tried to explain lamely. "I came back."

"What about Theresa?" Of all the things she wanted to say to him, that was probably the last one. But it's what came out, because it was the easiest to say.

"It's kind of a long story…" he shoved his hands into his pockets, looking around uncomfortably and squinting in the morning sunlight. "Maybe I can tell you after school? Maybe we could get some coffee…"

"No." He recoiled, guilt flooding his features, and his shoulders hunched over even farther.

"Look, I'm…"

"If you're going to end that sentence with 'sorry', don't bother. I'm not angry. We're just not doing this." She ignored the bursts of pain shooting through her chest, the ball of lead slowly forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Well that went swimmingly," Seth rejoined them, watching Summer walk away. He looked at them, realizing he came into the middle of a conversation. But he was Seth, and couldn't help himself. "Summer has a boyfriend."

"Zach," Taylor whispered, flicking her eyes up to meet the dark-haired boy's gaze. "His name's Zach." His shoulders fell when he realized Summer hadn't been lying.

"When…?"

"The Fourth of July," she continued softly. She had no anger at Seth, either. Yes, she hated what he did to Summer and his parents, but… she knew what it felt like. Having nothing, no one, and then Ryan entering your life like a savior, only to leave again. "She spilled her diet Coke on him."

"Great," he groaned, "they've bonded."

"Seth, you left her a note when you ran away. You left her alone; she thought you weren't coming back. She has every right, and you know it." Taylor could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and she blinked them away rapidly. "It's your own fault."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," Seth ranted, and Ryan let his forehead drop onto his crossed arms. "I mean, is she using the guy to get over me, or does she actually like him?"

He tuned Seth out, and, as predicted, the boy didn't notice. What was he supposed to do about Taylor? She said she wasn't angry at him, and that's what was scary. If she was angry, at least it meant she cared. Maybe she thought he didn't care. Well, he'd just have to show her.

He walked into the pool house to find her sitting on his bed. His heart leapt into his throat, excitement flooding through him. The DVD he had bought her was clutched in her hands, the bow still wound around it. It was just the latest in a long line of apology gifts. Apparently, the thoughtfulness of a rare Japanese DVD had finally tipped her over. His face broke into a grin. "Taylor-"

"This needs to stop," she whispered, voice shaking. He took a few steps forward.

"I know, it's ridiculous," he breathed.

"No," she stopped him in his tracks, "I mean the buying me stuff." She stood up, walking to the other side of the pool house. "I don't want you to buy me things. I don't want you to try, so stop. I've told you, over and over, we're done."

"We can't be done," he pushed his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders. "After everything we've been through…"

"What?" she gave a wavering laugh, staring out the glass wall, "the whole Chino thing? The part where you kicked me out of your house? The part where you accused me of cheating on you, the part where you started dating Marissa, the part where you punched my homecoming date?" She turned to face him, "how about the part where you left me for another girl?"

"Ok, you can't just pick out the worst parts of our relationship," he argued. "What about the times we were actually happy? You know, the six months where nothing bad happened? The whole part where I fucking love you? And I know you love me too."

"Of course I do. It's not even a question of that. But you left me. You didn't just leave me, you left me for an ex-girlfriend who was pregnant. Do you know how much that hurt? Knowing you were living with her? Knowing she got to have you?"

"We never-" he began to protest, but she shook her head.

"That's not the 'having you' I meant," she sighed. He was silent, and she threw the DVD on the bed. "Give that to Seth, he'll like it. Don't waste your money on me anymore."

"Taylor…"

"I was nothing before you came here," she paused at the door. "My own mother didn't love me. But then you came, and suddenly I had friends, people who cared about me, people I cared about. You didn't just hurt me, Ryan, you hurt them. Sandy, Kirsten, Seth, Summer. I didn't think you could ever be that heartless."

"Of course she doesn't want gifts," Kirsten whispered softly, swirling her mug of coffee. He stared gloomily down at the countertop, resting his weight on his arms. "She wants to know you won't run away again."

"I've told her that," he protested.

"You can't tell someone you won't leave."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"You just… don't disappear," she sighed, "eventually she'll learn to trust you again." He looked up at her hopefully, but her expression wavered a bit. "Maybe."

He was leaning against her locker, and she almost turned away. Almost.

"Ryan, I told you…" she began wearily.

"You told me to stop buying you things," he held up his empty hands. "Look, no presents." He glanced around the hall, like he was making sure no one else could hear him, "but I'm not going away."

"Ryan…"

He reached out, grabbing her wrist gently and pulling her closer. "Until you tell me to go away completely, I'm going to keep talking to you. I'm going to keep seeing you, and I'm going to keep trying to convince you that I'm not going anywhere." He paused, hesitating at the next part. "But if you really want me gone, if you really feel like you'll never trust me again, then all you have to do is say so, and I'll leave you alone."

She gripped her books tightly to her chest, "so I just have to tell you to get lost, and you'll stop? You'll stop bothering me, stop making me feel this horrible, crushing pain every time I see you?"

The light of hope drained from his eyes, and his gaze shifted away from her, staring off to the left. His mouth went tight, and he nodded slowly. "Just say the word." He closed his eyes, waiting. They fluttered open when he was met with silence, and he found she had left without saying a word.

He smiled.

End

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