Yay for chapter 3!

I'd just like to let everyone know that Kate will not be part of this story. It's not that I don't like Jessica Lucas, I just despise her character.

Oh and picture Annie as Taylor Momsen in 2009/2010.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Apart from my OC's and bits of the story line.

That is all...Enjoy :)


Chapter 3: Surprise...?

A flash of light, the first thing Skye saw when she woke up the next morning. "What the hell? Annie get off me!"

The pale blonde was standing above her with a Polaroid camera in hand. "Hold still, I just need one more, plus you owe me after last night!"

Skye groaned in defeat. "You couldn't just be a normal person? You know, call and say you're gonna be showing up a week early! That way we could've avoided me almost beating you to death!"

She snickered. "Please, you're lucky you even got one shot in."

Skye shot her an "I'm being serious" look.

She chose to laugh it off. "Oh come on! So sue me if I wanted to surprise you."

"Yeah well look where that got you…" Skye was feeling guilty for hurting Annie, but in her defence, she thought she was a murderer/rapist.

Annie lifted up her top up, showing her best friend the result of last night's event. A large purplish-blue bruise had begun to form. Skye covered her face with her hands, not wanting to see it. "Can you not do that please? I feel bad enough as it is already."

She shrugged her shoulders as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Ah don't worry about it…Oh and your Mom said to tell you we're leaving for Spencer in an hour." And with that she left the room

Skye jumped out of bed immediately, grabbing her towel and heading towards the bathroom. Great...the one day she had to at least look half decent and she only had an hour…just great! Why didn't anyone wake her up earlier? She walked back into her room after a 10 minute shower to find Annie already dressed, and as always, looking perfect in an orange and blue colour-block dress, and brown ankle boots.

She was about to drop her towel when she saw another flash of light. "Annie! Will you just stop! I don't have time for this! I've still gotta find some clothes and do my hair and…" She trailed off when she noticed an outfit already picked out and pressed, just lying on the bed.

Skye smiled and walked over to her best friend, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry for being such a bitch and I'm glad you're here a week early."

Annie pulled away and smiled "That's more like it! Now go change before I'm tempted to take more photos of you in a towel."

Skye was dressed and ready within 40 minutes, giving her just enough time to have breakfast. The outfit Annie picked out was perfect- dark high-waist jeans, white ruffled blouse and nude platform Mary Jane's.

When she walked into the kitchen, she noticed her father do a double take. "What was that for?" She asked while grabbing a box of cereal. Kate must have done some early morning shopping.

He just shook his head slightly and continued reading the newspaper.

"Well if that look was anything like the one he gave me, then he probably thinks you're over dressed too." Annie said before taking another sip of her coffee.

Jake folded the paper and put it to one side. "I just don't see why you girls have to get so dressed up to see the provost."

Skye sighed and looked at her father. "Dad, we've gotta make a good impression. Technically Annie and I have already finished school. So really, he's doing us a favour."

Jake contemplated this for a minute before giving up. He should no better than to argue with two stubborn teenagers. "Okay fine, I get it. We've gotta leave soon or we'll be late. You girls have everything you need?"

They both nodded and made their way outside to the car where Kate was already waiting.

The drive to Spencer Academy was short. Both girls had no doubt in their minds that Provost Higgins would accept them into the school. Their transcripts we excellent, but finding a place, let alone two, at a school as prestigious as Spencer, just before the year could start would be difficult. The only reason they even wanted to go back to school was because they both intended on furthering their education in the US, meaning they'd need to graduate from high school with the relevant courses.

Spencer Academy was big and intimidating, with its gothic architecture and high ceilings. They had no trouble finding the administration office. Upon arriving, the four of them saw a middle aged woman with glasses perched on her nose, going through a stack of files.

Jake approached her, while the girls and Kate took a seat. "Good morning. We have an appointment with Provost Higgins about my daughter and her friends' enrolment."

The woman nodded her head and gestured for Jake to take a seat while she announced to the provost that they were here.

An hour later, they were done and exiting Provost Higgins office. "So I'll see you girls in a few days for orientation. You'll have to see Mrs Perkins about your accommodation. Her office is in the building to the right, just outside the main entrance. Good day to you all."

Kate and Jake both looked pleased. "It's almost 11, why don't we head into town for an early celebratory lunch?" He asked, looking at his watch.

"Um actually I think Annie and I should sort out our dorms, but you two go ahead. We'll call if we need anything." Skye said, wanting to actually give her parents some alone time and wonder around campus.

"You sure? Kate asked, a little bit disappointed.

They both nodded before hugging Jake and Kate goodbye. Once they were gone, Skye and Annie turned to face each other, both erupting in excited smiles.


The girls walked towards the dorm advisors office with their arms linked. They were rounding the corner when they both collided with two tall, solid figures. It was like walking into a brick wall.

An arm reached out and snaked around Skye's waist before she could stumble back. "Woh you okay? I'm sorry about that. Shoulda watched where we were going." She heard a familiar deep voice say.

She looked up and was met by a set of brilliant hazel eyes. "Pogue?"

He chuckled "And you thought Tyler was the only one who had that affect on girls?"

She was in a trance. Some how, Pogue managed to look even more like a Greek Adonis in the day time. They continued to stare at each other, Pogue still holding her up by the waist. Skye heard someone clear their throat and looked to her right to see Tyler and Annie smirking back at them. She quickly motioned for Pogue to let go of her. He did so reluctantly.

Just then she remembered Annie. "Oh um…this is my best friend Annie. Annie this is Pogue and Tyler. I met them last night."

The blonde raised her hand and gave them a small wave before eyeing Skye curiously. She'd remembered her best friend talking about the boys before, so it was strange that she was making it seem as if she'd just met them. What was she up to?

Tyler couldn't help checking Annie out. She looked like she belonged in some high fashion magazine instead of the corridors of Spencer. She noticed him looking at her and sent a flirty smile his way. Embarrassed, Tyler felt his cheeks beginning to warm.

"So what are you girls doing here? Pogue asked, trying to distract himself from staring at 'Mia'.

But before she got the chance to answer, she heard the faint call of her mother from behind her. "Skye! Annie!"

Tyler and Pogue were bound to recognise her…Oh shit! Her cover was blown.

Skye turned back to see her walking towards them with Annie's camera in hand. "Hey, I tried calling but neither of you picked up. I thought Annie might want her camera seeing as she's usually glued to it." She said before handing it to Annie.

Pogue and Tyler were speechless. No…it couldn't be? Could it?

"Aunt Kate?" Tyler said hesitantly.

Skye watched her mother look at the boys curiously before nearly popping her eyes out in realisation. "Oh my God! Tyler?" She said, pushing past the girls excitedly to give him a hug. She pulled away and held his face in her hands. "I can't believe it! Look at you!"

He laughed happily. "It's so good to see you!"

Kate then caught sight of Pogue who'd been standing there, completely silent, still trying to get over the initial shock of seeing her. She recognised his eyes straight away.

She was on the verge of tears and covered her mouth in shock. Seeing Tyler so grown up was one thing, but Pogue seemed to have changed alot more. "Pogue?" She asked softly.

He nodded his head gently before wrapping his arms around the petite woman.

Kate was crying now. Finally being back home and now seeing the boys who she considered to be like her own sons, standing right in front of her, looking so grown up- it was enough to reduce any middle aged woman to tears. "I just can't get over how grown up you boys look."

Her phone began to vibrate, but she ignored it and gave the boys another hug each. "I've gotta go but please don't hesitate to stop by. We're back at the old house and our door is always open!" She said before walking away from the group.

Skye watched her mother leave, trying to avoid eye contact with Pogue and Tyler. Her efforts proved useless though. They were looking straight at her, their faces unreadable. She let out a nervous laugh, trying to think of the best way to approach this. "Surprise…"


They stood in silence for a while, no one knowing what to say.

Annie however, couldn't take the awkward tension anymore. "Skye, what's going on?" She asked after seeing the worried look on the brunettes face.

She just looked at her friend, offering her a weak smile before turning back to Tyler and Pogue. Their expressions had changed to confused and slightly pissed off.

"Mia Patel?" Tyler asked, slipping his hands into his pocket.

Skye sensed the bitterness in his usually friendly voice. It was completely understandable, but still stung like a bitch. "My doctor's 10 year old daughter, it was the first name that popped into my head."

He nodded his head but his expression stayed the same. "How long have you been back?"

"Since yesterday." She stated, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear.

It was Pogue's turn to do the questioning and Skye had a feeling he wouldn't be as 'nice' as Tyler. He was always the one to hold grudges. "Why didn't you just tell us?" His tone was quiet, yet accusing at the same time.

She thought about it for a minute, trying to make up the best excuse possible in her head. "…Honestly…I don't really know. I thought it would make a funny story once you guys found out the truth, plus I kinda wanted to surprise you." So much for that!

"And look where that got you." Annie muttered under her breath, repeating Skye's words to her form earlier in the day.

She ignored the blonde, still staring intently at the boys.

Tyler looked into her pleading green eyes. "So…"

She wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. "So…"

He smiled at her. "So…you gonna just stand there or give me a hug?"

The tension in her muscles eased up as she felt relief wash over her entire body. She practically jumped into his arms. He in turn lifted her off the ground and spun her around, grateful to have his friend back.

Once her feet were firmly on the ground, she turned to Pogue. He had a slight smirk on his face. That was a good sign…right? He crossed his arms and took a step closer to her.

She could feel his warm breath against her face as he towered over her. There was something intimidating about the way he looked at her. She just stood there, not moving or speaking. Only the sound of their breathing resonated between the two of them.

Annie was a bit taken aback. In the 9 years she'd known Skye, there were only a handful of times in which she saw her at a loss for words. So naturally, she found her best friends' quiet demeanour to be slightly unsettling. "You two just gonna stand there like that all day?"

Tyler chuckled, but Pogue seemed unfazed.

The sound of Annie's voice brought Skye back to reality and she broke eye contact with Pogue. It was obvious he was going to hold this against her. She thought it best to just give him time to get over it. She took a step back, distancing herself from him and turned to Tyler with a small smile. "I'll see you around."

She grabbed Annie and was about to walk away when she felt a strong hand wrap around her wrist and pull her back. She looked at Pogue in confusion. He was smiling at her this time, making her weak in the knees.

Pogue leaned in closer to Skye. "I'm glad you're back… but I'm not letting you off the hook that easy." He whispered into her ear causing her cheeks to burn bright red.

She smiled like a little school girl and whipped her head around, grabbing Annie's arm once again before walking off in the direction of the dorm advisors office.

Annie stared at the stupid smile on Skye's face. "What was that about?"

"No idea". She lied.


As they expected, most of the dorm rooms had already been assigned, however there were a couple of vacancies left, two of which were on the same floor so they figured it was better than nothing. They weren't going to be rooming together like they'd hoped but they were only 2 doors away from each other. That wasn't so bad.

After sitting through a lecture on the dorm rules and regulations from Mrs Perkins, they thought it best to scout out their rooms, making it easier to find them on the day they'd have to move in. It took a while to navigate through all the buildings. The school was like a maze, but they finally reached their destination.

"301, that's me," Skye said, pointing to the door in front of her. She opened it with the key she'd been given to reveal two petite girls sitting cross legged on the floor. "Oh hey, um I'm sorry, they must have assigned me the wrong room, looks like this ones taken."

The brunette got up and smiled at Skye. "No, you're in the right room. I'm actually across the hall in 304. I was just helping Sarah here unpack."

Upon hearing her room number being called out, Annie popped her head through the door frame. "Somebody say 304?"

The brunette raised her hand and Annie smiled. "Guess we're roomies then. I'm Annie Finch." She said, offering her hand to the girl.

The small brunette returned the gesture. "Alex Ferrera…Wanna check it out?"

Annie nodded and the two departed, leaving Skye alone with Sarah- the other blonde. "I'm Skye Ryan by the way, nice to meet you Sarah..."

She smiled politely. "Wenham…Sarah Wenham. Skye huh? That's a beautiful name."

Polite and complementary, she liked this girl already. "Thanks, my full name's actually Layla Skye Ryan, but no ones called me Layla since I was 4." She laughed.

Sarah nodded in understanding. "So when are you moving in?"

Skye hadn't thought about that. "Probably in a few days."

"Cool…so have you heard about the party tonight at the Dells?"

Skye sighed. Ah the annual back-to-school beach party. Memories of hiding in trees and behind boulders, spying on the older kids drinking beer, dirty dancing and making out came flooding back. Good times. "Yeah, are you going?"

The blonde nodded

"Well I'll see you there then roomie." She said before offering her a smile, exiting the room and going over to 304 to retrieve Annie.


"So where are we going again?" Annie asked, confused at Skye's choice of attire. They had purchased the outfit, along with others and stuff for their dorm rooms, earlier that day.

She was adorned in a white Rolling Stones t-shirt, denim shorts, baseball jacket and a pair of grey Chuck Taylor's. It's not that she didn't look good, but Skye hardly ever dressed so…for lack of a better word, 'casually'.

"The Dells."

Annie just looked at her. "Am I supposed to know what that means?"

Skye laughed at her friends' impatience. "It's basically a beach party. Kids from Spencer have one every year to mark the end of summer."

The blonde was still at a loss, looking slightly confused. "Ah, makes sense now…. but I still don't know what to wear."

"Oh what's this I hear? Is the great Annabel Finch asking a mere commoner for fashion advice?" Skye asked, putting on her most surprised voice.

Annie crossed her arms and gave her an annoyed look in response.

Skye knew she'd hit a bit of a nerve. Being an aspiring fashion photographer, Annie took her wardrobe very seriously, and didn't take well to people mocking her about it. But this was Skye- she knew exactly which buttons to press. "Relax I'm kidding…look, we'll just go through all our clothes. We're bound to find something."

"That's easy for you to say. You'd look great in a potato sack!" she fired back in frustration.

"Says the leggy blonde who can pass for a model even on her worse day!" Skye was quick to reply. This was a conversation they'd had many times before, and it always ended the same way.

They were both quiet for a moment before Skye spoke again. "So… do want my help or not?"

"Well if you're offering." Was all Annie said, and with that they began sifting through all their clothes.


Two hours later and they were finally making their way to the Dells in Jake's Range Rover. After searching through all their clothes, Annie only managed to come up with an outfit she was 'content' with- a red checkered shirt, white tank top, black ripped jeans, white Chuck Taylor's and a grey beanie (because she couldn't be bothered to do her hair), despite Skye's insistence that she looked great.

By the time they reached the party it was night fall. Finding a spot to park in proved futile, so they retreated into the woods beside the beach.

The distant murmur of music and chatter could be heard all the way from the woods. Annie looked completely out of her element, jumping at every little sound that was audible to the human ear. In an effort to distract her, Skye brought up the one subject she knew would keep the blonde's mind occupied- no pun intended. "So what do you think about Tyler?"

Annie shrugged her shoulders. She knew what Skye was trying to do. "What do you mean?"

Skye raised her eyebrows at the blonde knowingly. "Oh come on, don't give me that! I saw you two checking each other out this morning."

Annie smirked. "You're delusional."

By that time, they were out of the woods and on the sand. Skye dropped the subject of Tyler, seeing as Annie had returned to her normal self, but she would definitely be bringing it up again. She saw how her friends' eyes had lit up slightly when they were talking about him.

They scanned the party for anyone familiar. Annie caught sight of Alex and Sarah. She went to join them while Skye scouted around for drinks. She spotted a keg of beer but that was a no go. If either of her parents even smelt the faintest bit of alcohol on Annie and her, they'd be done for.

After a while she abandoned the mission. From the looks of it, they'd either have to drink beer or go thirsty. She stuck to the safe option and chose the latter.

While looking around for the girls who seemed to have moved from their previous spot by the DJ's table, she accidentally bumped into someone. Instinctively, she started apologizing, but stopped once she saw who it was. Aaron Abbot was dusting of his letterman jacket and muttering something under his breath. She prayed he didn't see her as she tried to make her break. He was quick to look up though and pulled her back. "Well hello again gorgeous."

He had his hands around her waist and she could smell the alcohol in his breath. She squirmed under his grasp but it seemed to go unnoticed by him. What was it with this guy and not being able to take a hint? "Let go douche bag, before I make you!"

This only seemed to excite him. "Ooh you're feisty, I like that."

The appearance of some red head made him abruptly let go of Skye. She mentally thanked the girl as she walked way.

She found Annie, Sarah and Alex standing near the fire, talking animatedly.

"Ladies." She greeted, bowing her head slightly. They all laughed at her. "What've I missed?"

"Alex was just giving us the scoop on who's here." Sarah informed her.

This she had to hear. "Oh do tell."

Alex motioned for the three girls to turn around, and pointed straight at Aaron Abbot, who was standing next to the sour looking red head. "Okay the first thing you need to know is that Aaron Abbot is a total prick. Treats girls like dirt."

"Huh, you don't say. Who's the girl standing next to him?" Skye asked.

Alex sneered. "Kira Snider, Spencer's resident rich bitch. She looks down at anyone who doesn't own a platinum card."

Skye sighed in understanding. The Snider family owned a chain of pricey furniture stores and seeing as most of the inhabitants of Ipswich were millionaires, they did pretty well for themselves.

Sarah looked around eagerly, wanting to know more. "Okay…who's that?" She asked indicating to a good looking dirty blonde guy with spikes.

The guy in question saw them looking and sent a smile their way.

"New guy, don't know much about him." Alex said, smiling back at him.

"He's cute." Sarah said shyly. They all nodded their heads in agreement. There was no denying that.

The sudden immergence of four mysterious figures walking down the hill seemed to kick the party into high gear. The music became louder as more people took to drinking and dirty dancing.

Skye was deep in conversation with Annie about what happened with Aaron earlier when she heard someone mention "The Son's of Ipswich". She turned around to see Pogue, Caleb Reid and Tyler approaching. So that's what they were known as now? It would definitely take some getting used to.


Caleb and Reid were the first to reach them, greeting everyone except for Skye. Great…Tyler and Pogue must have ratted her out.

Skye was surprised to see Alex jump into the arms of a mischievous looking Reid. His features softened at their contact and he smiled warmly. "Hey baby, you're late." She stated before giving him a kiss.

He was looking straight at Skye and smirking. "Yeah, the boys and I had to sort some stuff out."

Skye rolled her eyes. She shot Pogue and Tyler a look just as they joined the group. Tyler came to stand between Annie and Skye innocently, while Pogue hugged Alex. "Who are your friends?" He asked with a smirk that could have rivalled Reid's.

"This is Sarah Wenham, Annie Finch and Skye Ryan. Annie's my new roommate, and Sarah and Skye live across the hall from us...Girls, this is Reid Garwin, Caleb Danvers, Tyler Simms and Pogue Parry." She said, introducing everyone.

Sarah and Caleb shared a look. "Hey." He couldn't help saying, then turned to Skye. "You know you look awfully familiar. Have we met before?"

"Hmm that depends…Are you still a pain-in-the-ass momma's boy?" She asked thoughtfully, putting her hands on her hips and tilting her head.

Everyone laughed including him. "Pretty much yeah." He said, beaming at her, showing off his pearly whites and pulling her into a tight hug. "It's good to have you back!"

"You know, I for one thought it would have made a hilarious story." Reid said sarcastically, interrupting their hug before picking her up and spinning her around.

"You're just mad coz you weren't in on it, Garwin." She said, knowing him all to well.

Alex and Sarah had been standing their, confused at their little reunion. "Wait, so you guys know each other? Alex asked.

"Oh they go way back, trust me!" Annie added in her two cents worth.

The conversation had just started to flow again when Kira Snider appeared. "Hey Caleb." She greeted him and ignored everyone else.

The rest of the boys all rolled their eyes.

"Kira." He replied politely.

"How was you summer?" She asked.

Caleb was too distracted by Sarah to even hear what Kira was saying. "Um…"

Kira noticed the way he was starting at her and didn't like it. She put on her fakest smile and turned to the small blonde, extending her hand out for her to shake. "I'm Kira…You're form the Boston public right? Tell me, how does one go about getting into Spencer from a public?"

Skye snorted. The girl needed to come up with some new material.

The red head looked at Skye, recognising her as the girl Aaron was holding. She wasn't impressed. "Something funny skeeze?"

"Yeah actually. I find it funny how you haven't changed one bit. Still the same belittling bitch you were back then." Skye said with ease.

Everyone laughed but Kira continued to stare Skye down. If only looks could kill…

She was about say something when Caleb intervened. "Why don't you give it a rest Kira?"

"Why don't you give it a rest?" Every one heard as Aaron and his friend came to stand between Caleb and Kira.

Caleb sighed in frustration. "I don't want any trouble Aaron." He stated calmly.

"I'm sure you don't." He replied smugly.

"You posers make me wanna puke!" Chipped in Aaron's friend.

Reid had just about seen and heard enough. "Is that right?"

Caleb meaning what he said about not wanting trouble held Reid back. "Hey hey, let it go."

Aaron was still standing there smugly. Ah Caleb, the fearless leader. He would do anything if it meant getting under his skin. "I think you owe Kira an apology."

Caleb just laughed at this. "Actually I think Kira owes Skye and Sarah the apology." He said pointing from Kira to the two other girls.

Aaron looked at Skye at the mention of her name. "Skye? As in Ryan? Well well well…you sure have…grown up." He said, giving her a lingering look.

Pogue's jaw twitched at the way he was eyeing her. She noticed his fist ball up and she put her hand over it to calm him. "Ignore him…he's not worth it." She said calmly, staring him right in the eyes.

This didn't stop Aaron from winking at her before shoving Caleb forward. The fight was about to erupt, but the dirty blonde guy the girls had seen before jumped in between Caleb and Aaron before anything more could happen. He was facing Aaron and attempting to calm him down before he turned to Kira. "You were being kinda bitchy." He said matter-of-factly.

Seconds later, Aaron's friend started throwing up all over him. Reid laughed and Caleb gave him a look, while everyone else jumped to avoid it. That was odd, why would Caleb care if the guy was sick or not? One thing was for sure, his vomiting couldn't have come at a better time.


Everyone was running. The DJ had just announced that three cop cars were heading down the road toward the beach. Pogue grabbed Skye's hand, but she stalled to look for Annie. She caught a glimpse of her bleach blonde hair bobbing through the crowd along with Tyler's as they ran up the hill. She figured she'd be safe with him so she let Pogue drag her away.

Once they were at the edge of the woods, they slowed down. Pogue still hadn't let go of her hand and she wondered if he was aware of that.

They found the boys and Annie waiting by Tyler's Hummer. Alex and Sarah must have already left. "You girls need a ride?" Tyler offered.

Annie smiled at him. "No we're good. We drove here."

Skye looked up at Pogue, his face etched with a hint of worry. She let go of his hand and stood on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. "We'll be fine. You guys should get out of here." She said then left him to say goodbye to the others.

Pogue revelled in the feel of Skye's slightly parted soft lips on his cheek. Her warm breath causing chills to run down his spine. She was intoxicating. He would never have though that something as simple and innocent as a kiss on the cheek could have such an effect on him, yet when she pulled away, he felt himself wanting more.

They'd begun to make their way to the car when Annie remembered she had Tyler's jacket.

She ran back to him and was about to take it off when he stopped her. "Why don't you hold on to that? You look like you need it more than I do" He laughed noticing the way her slender frame quivered with each passing breeze.

She wasn't going to refuse. It meant they had a reason to see each other again…soon.


So that's chapter 3...I'm thinking Selena Gomez as Alex?

What do you think?

I did this chapter in the sapce of a day so my apologies if it isn't as good as the other two. I wanted to get it outta the way coz I have exams in 2 weeks so chapter 4 may take a while.

Anyways thats my semi-rant over.

Please R&R!

Until next time...
Siran :)