Sugar and Spice: 1/?
by: Emilie Eden
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I have nothing to do with IAHB. That said, let's move on, shall we?
Author's Note: This is my first solo IAHB fic, so please be kind. It's probably somewhat out of character, but I'm hoping it's not so bad that it makes you cringe. ;) Yes, I'm aware I suck at titles and summaries, lol. Forgive me?
Also: This fic is a companion piece to Kawaii.Megami's very cool "Confession, Confusion, Comfort." If you haven't read it, I suggest you check it out. This is not directly related to her fic and will probably have nothing to do with her continuation, but this is just my take on what might happen. Oh, and I *do* have her permission to write this.
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"Can I sit here?"
Caitie Roth glanced up from the book she was reading, only to see Tyler Connell hovering over her. "You're talking to me?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Mind if we talk?"
Caitie turned her attention back to her book. "Isn't that what we're doing?"
"Ok, yeah, I guess that's true..." They sat in silence for a minute, before Tyler blurted out. "Did you know Val and Jamie were dating?"
Caitie put down her book. "I must have heard you wrong because I swear you said Val was dating Jamie."
"You didn't hear wrong."
Caitie began glancing around suspiciously. "This is a joke, right? I must be on like, candid camera...because Jamie doesn't go for girls like Val. No offense to her or anything," she added.
"Well, I guess he made an exception for her," Tyler muttered under his breath.
"Ok, say this is true. Even if Jamie and Val were dating, they would tell me."
Tyler sighed. "They haven't told anyone yet. Something about they want to see how it goes before everyone finds out."
"Then how do you know?" Caitie brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.
"I overheard them talking. After our shift tonight, they're going out to the movies." Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't care if you believe me or not. I just thought you should know."
"Why?"
"Because you like Jamie...?" Tyler said slowly.
"I do not like Jamie," Caitie hissed.
"Right." Tyler looked unconvinced.
"And even if I did, it's none of my business who he dates."
Tyler smirked. "So, I guess that means you wouldn't be interested in going to the movies with me, say, after my EMS shift?"
Caitie looked at Tyler in annoyance, causing him to grin. "I'll see you at seven," she said, grabbing her book and walking off.
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Tyler stood outside the movie theater, keeping his eyes peeled for either Caitie, Jamie or Val. He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering if Caitie had stood him up.
"Hey," a voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Caitie. "Sorry I'm late."
"No problem." Tyler looked her over. "You look nice."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just a compliment," he replied.
"Oh." Caitie paused for a moment, before smiling. "Thanks. So do you." Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she grabbed his arm, pulling him in front of her. "Don't turn around. Val and Jamie are only a few feet away. If they see us spying on them, we are so dead."
"I assume you believe me now?" Tyler asked.
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" Caitie countered, before letting out a sigh. "Sorry, bad mood. Start backing up slowly, ok?"
"Uh, sure," he said, slowly walking backwards until Caitie stopped him.
Caitie peered over his shoulder, making a face at her two best friends. Jamie's arm was around Val's shoulders and they were whispering about something while they waited in line to buy their tickets. "This is so unbelievable," Caitie whispered.
"Tell me about it," Tyler replied.
"Oh, um, what are we watching?" Val asked Jamie as they reached the front of the line. "We didn't even think about that."
"Who says we'll be watching anything?" Jamie teased.
"Jamie!" Val playfully shoved Jamie away.
"Oh, please," Caitie rolled her eyes.
Tyler looked down at Caitie, an amused expression on his face. "Jealous?"
"Of course not," she replied. "They're going in. Great, by the time we actually get our tickets, the movie will have started and --"
Tyler cut her off. "Don't worry about it. I have free passes we can use." He held up his hand and nodded towards the entrance. "After you."
"I hope you don't think this is a date," Caitie said as she walked inside. "Because it's not."
"I never said it was," he replied. "Do you want popcorn?"
"I guess," Caitie sighed and glanced around. "I'm going to the restroom, ok? Keep your eye out for Romeo and Juliet."
Caitie quickly crossed the lobby and walked inside the women's bathroom. After realizing she was alone, she walked over to the sinks and turned on the cold water. "This is crazy," she said to herself, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "What kind of friend am I? And why is it so hot in here?!"
She cupped her hands underneath the water and splashed her face, watching the droplets of water trickle down her cheeks. After a minute she let out a sigh and grabbed some paper towels. "That's better." She dried her face and threw the paper towels into the trash.
Caitie looked in the mirror again. "I can't do this. Not to Jamie and Val. If they're happy together, who am I to interfere?" She ran her hands through her hair and smoothed it down. "Why do I care, anyway?"
She produced a tube of lipstick from her pocket and applied it to her lips, turning them from a light pink to a deep purple. "I'll just tell Tyler this is wrong and we should leave." She nodded to herself and tucked the lipstick back into her pocket, before turning to leave the bathroom.
At that moment, the door opened, only to reveal Val. "Caitie?" She glanced behind her and then closed the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I don't know...seeing a movie maybe?" Caitie suggested, reaching up to tuck her hair back behind her ears. "You?"
"Oh. Well, I'm here doing the same," Val nodded. She went over to the mirror and began to retouch her make up.
"Who are you with?" Caitie questioned, pretending to be clueless.
Val visibly stiffened. "Um...no one. No one that you know."
"Oh, ok." Caitie stared at her best friend for a moment, before turning. "Well, I was just leaving when you walked in, so...I'll see you later. Call me."
"Sure," Val breathed in relief. "Bye."
"Yeah, bye," Caitie walked out of the bathroom and over to Tyler. "Val knows I'm here."
"What do you mean, she knows you're here?" Tyler handed Caitie a medium sized drink. "I hope you like Dr Pepper."
"Yeah, that's fine." She took a sip of the drink, before continuing. "Anyway, Val came in the bathroom right as I was leaving. She didn't even mention that she was here with Jamie. Instead she said she was with someone that I don't know. Can you believe that?" Caitie inhaled. "Here I was, thinking that it was wrong to interfere with their date and I was going to leave. I mean, she can't even be truthful with me, her best friend. I can't believe her."
Tyler paused to take in all that she had said. "So, you're leaving?"
"No."
"I thought you said it was wrong to interfere with their date?"
"It is and I still think that...but who says we're interfering?" Caitie smiled. "We have no idea that Val and Jamie are on a date. We're just here seeing a movie together."
They walked into the room showing the movie Val and Jamie were seeing and took their seats near the back. "I thought this wasn't a date." Tyler commented.
"Ok, so, friends can't see a movie together without it being classified as a date?" Caitie replied, raising her eyebrow.
"I guess you're right," Tyler agreed as the room darkened and the movie previews began. He sat there for a minute, before turning to Caitie in confusion. "Wait, so you're saying we're friends?"
by: Emilie Eden
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I have nothing to do with IAHB. That said, let's move on, shall we?
Author's Note: This is my first solo IAHB fic, so please be kind. It's probably somewhat out of character, but I'm hoping it's not so bad that it makes you cringe. ;) Yes, I'm aware I suck at titles and summaries, lol. Forgive me?
Also: This fic is a companion piece to Kawaii.Megami's very cool "Confession, Confusion, Comfort." If you haven't read it, I suggest you check it out. This is not directly related to her fic and will probably have nothing to do with her continuation, but this is just my take on what might happen. Oh, and I *do* have her permission to write this.
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"Can I sit here?"
Caitie Roth glanced up from the book she was reading, only to see Tyler Connell hovering over her. "You're talking to me?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Mind if we talk?"
Caitie turned her attention back to her book. "Isn't that what we're doing?"
"Ok, yeah, I guess that's true..." They sat in silence for a minute, before Tyler blurted out. "Did you know Val and Jamie were dating?"
Caitie put down her book. "I must have heard you wrong because I swear you said Val was dating Jamie."
"You didn't hear wrong."
Caitie began glancing around suspiciously. "This is a joke, right? I must be on like, candid camera...because Jamie doesn't go for girls like Val. No offense to her or anything," she added.
"Well, I guess he made an exception for her," Tyler muttered under his breath.
"Ok, say this is true. Even if Jamie and Val were dating, they would tell me."
Tyler sighed. "They haven't told anyone yet. Something about they want to see how it goes before everyone finds out."
"Then how do you know?" Caitie brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.
"I overheard them talking. After our shift tonight, they're going out to the movies." Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't care if you believe me or not. I just thought you should know."
"Why?"
"Because you like Jamie...?" Tyler said slowly.
"I do not like Jamie," Caitie hissed.
"Right." Tyler looked unconvinced.
"And even if I did, it's none of my business who he dates."
Tyler smirked. "So, I guess that means you wouldn't be interested in going to the movies with me, say, after my EMS shift?"
Caitie looked at Tyler in annoyance, causing him to grin. "I'll see you at seven," she said, grabbing her book and walking off.
----------
Tyler stood outside the movie theater, keeping his eyes peeled for either Caitie, Jamie or Val. He sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, wondering if Caitie had stood him up.
"Hey," a voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Caitie. "Sorry I'm late."
"No problem." Tyler looked her over. "You look nice."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just a compliment," he replied.
"Oh." Caitie paused for a moment, before smiling. "Thanks. So do you." Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she grabbed his arm, pulling him in front of her. "Don't turn around. Val and Jamie are only a few feet away. If they see us spying on them, we are so dead."
"I assume you believe me now?" Tyler asked.
"Don't have much of a choice, do I?" Caitie countered, before letting out a sigh. "Sorry, bad mood. Start backing up slowly, ok?"
"Uh, sure," he said, slowly walking backwards until Caitie stopped him.
Caitie peered over his shoulder, making a face at her two best friends. Jamie's arm was around Val's shoulders and they were whispering about something while they waited in line to buy their tickets. "This is so unbelievable," Caitie whispered.
"Tell me about it," Tyler replied.
"Oh, um, what are we watching?" Val asked Jamie as they reached the front of the line. "We didn't even think about that."
"Who says we'll be watching anything?" Jamie teased.
"Jamie!" Val playfully shoved Jamie away.
"Oh, please," Caitie rolled her eyes.
Tyler looked down at Caitie, an amused expression on his face. "Jealous?"
"Of course not," she replied. "They're going in. Great, by the time we actually get our tickets, the movie will have started and --"
Tyler cut her off. "Don't worry about it. I have free passes we can use." He held up his hand and nodded towards the entrance. "After you."
"I hope you don't think this is a date," Caitie said as she walked inside. "Because it's not."
"I never said it was," he replied. "Do you want popcorn?"
"I guess," Caitie sighed and glanced around. "I'm going to the restroom, ok? Keep your eye out for Romeo and Juliet."
Caitie quickly crossed the lobby and walked inside the women's bathroom. After realizing she was alone, she walked over to the sinks and turned on the cold water. "This is crazy," she said to herself, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "What kind of friend am I? And why is it so hot in here?!"
She cupped her hands underneath the water and splashed her face, watching the droplets of water trickle down her cheeks. After a minute she let out a sigh and grabbed some paper towels. "That's better." She dried her face and threw the paper towels into the trash.
Caitie looked in the mirror again. "I can't do this. Not to Jamie and Val. If they're happy together, who am I to interfere?" She ran her hands through her hair and smoothed it down. "Why do I care, anyway?"
She produced a tube of lipstick from her pocket and applied it to her lips, turning them from a light pink to a deep purple. "I'll just tell Tyler this is wrong and we should leave." She nodded to herself and tucked the lipstick back into her pocket, before turning to leave the bathroom.
At that moment, the door opened, only to reveal Val. "Caitie?" She glanced behind her and then closed the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I don't know...seeing a movie maybe?" Caitie suggested, reaching up to tuck her hair back behind her ears. "You?"
"Oh. Well, I'm here doing the same," Val nodded. She went over to the mirror and began to retouch her make up.
"Who are you with?" Caitie questioned, pretending to be clueless.
Val visibly stiffened. "Um...no one. No one that you know."
"Oh, ok." Caitie stared at her best friend for a moment, before turning. "Well, I was just leaving when you walked in, so...I'll see you later. Call me."
"Sure," Val breathed in relief. "Bye."
"Yeah, bye," Caitie walked out of the bathroom and over to Tyler. "Val knows I'm here."
"What do you mean, she knows you're here?" Tyler handed Caitie a medium sized drink. "I hope you like Dr Pepper."
"Yeah, that's fine." She took a sip of the drink, before continuing. "Anyway, Val came in the bathroom right as I was leaving. She didn't even mention that she was here with Jamie. Instead she said she was with someone that I don't know. Can you believe that?" Caitie inhaled. "Here I was, thinking that it was wrong to interfere with their date and I was going to leave. I mean, she can't even be truthful with me, her best friend. I can't believe her."
Tyler paused to take in all that she had said. "So, you're leaving?"
"No."
"I thought you said it was wrong to interfere with their date?"
"It is and I still think that...but who says we're interfering?" Caitie smiled. "We have no idea that Val and Jamie are on a date. We're just here seeing a movie together."
They walked into the room showing the movie Val and Jamie were seeing and took their seats near the back. "I thought this wasn't a date." Tyler commented.
"Ok, so, friends can't see a movie together without it being classified as a date?" Caitie replied, raising her eyebrow.
"I guess you're right," Tyler agreed as the room darkened and the movie previews began. He sat there for a minute, before turning to Caitie in confusion. "Wait, so you're saying we're friends?"