Safe With You || Seth Cohen

||40||

"Oh, hey Ally. Seth. I didn't even see you two there." Kirsten said, looking embarrassed.

"How's Ryan?" Sandy asked and I sighed. "Upset. We're trying to bring him out of it though. Right now he just wants his space."

"Probably best to give it to him then." Sandy stated and I nodded.

Kirsten lifted her hand up and I noticed something looked off.

"Mom, where's your ring?" Seth asked then and I realized that's what was missing.

"Hmm?"

"Two carats, platinum setting, lives on your left hand second finger." Sandy told her, seeing her look.

"I can't find it."

"But you never take that ring off." Sandy stated.

"That's not true, sometimes when I'm gardening or..washing the dishes, I leave it on the sink."

"I bet it fell in and it's stuck in the drain." Sandy stated, but I thought differently. I'd never once seen Kirsten take off her ring. I knew it must have something to do with the tension that was between Kirsten and Sandy the last weeks. It all seemed to be good now, but maybe she just took her ring off and didn't want Sandy to feel bad.

"I'll call the plumber tomorrow. I'm sure it's not lost." Kirsten assured Sandy before leaving the kitchen.

Sandy stared after her a moment before turning back to Seth and I.

"What are the plans for today?"

"Cheer Ryan up." I stated.

"Let me know how it goes." Sandy stated before walking off.

"I'm gonna call Sum. She always knows how to cheer people up. You call Ben, see if he knows anything that could cheer Ryan up."

I ended up calling Summer and she said she was planning to ask Marissa to go to the mall later and to ask Ryan to come as well. Ben said the same, that he was going with Summer, so we should make it a group thing. I just hoped the plan worked.

~~~~
Summer and I knocked on Alex's apartment door where Marissa was now staying. Apparently it was because Julie didn't really approve of the relationship between Alex and Marissa.

Marissa opened the door quickly and sighed in relief before gesturing for us to come in.

She hugged the two of us, before closing the door quickly.

"Good, Ally, Sum, it's just you two. I thought it was the big guy with the I Heart Nascar tattoo."

Summer and I made a face at that.

"Okay, not asking why."

"What is that uh..earthy musky smell?" Summer asked, her nose scrunching up.

"Oh, that's skunked beer."

"Oh. Well hey, it must be awesome to be away from your mom huh, be out of Caleb's mansion?" I asked Marissa, who nodded, but I could tell she didn't really mean it.

"Totally, I don't miss it at all." She told us in a very unconvincing tone.

"So I'm sure that you have these like really cool, edgy plans with Alex, but Ally and I were going to the mall because I have to go for the clothing drive-"

"The mall? Sounds great. Let me just grab my purse."

"That didn't take much convincing." I murmured and Summer nodded, looking amused.

~~~~
The car pulled to a stop in front of the mall and everyone unbuckled their seat belts.

"Home sweet home." Marissa stated as she saw the mall.