So here's another chapter for you all. It's not so much M rated. I've been suffering from a severe case of writer's block, so I have a feeling the next chapter won't be up for a few more days.

xx Thanks again, to everyone who has read, or reviewed and/or making this one of your favorites xx

Bailey couldn't remember driving back home, after dropping Chelsea off, she was lost in thought. She needed to talk to Pogue, no matter how hurt he was, or how hurt she was. It was the right thing to do. They were both almost adults now, so it was time to start acting like it.

Nevertheless, she got home in one piece. She opened the door to her bedroom, flipped on the lights, and threw her keys and purse down on the desk. She looked up into the mirror and saw her pale reflection looking back at her. She didn't look like the Bailey that had left town last year, that's for sure. She was definitely more skinny, definitely more pale, maybe even a little more mature.

She unclipped the barrettes in her hair and pulled her wig off, revealing a pink scarf underneath. She never took her scarf off... she didn't want to see how she really looked without her real hair. Even though it was starting to grow again, she still felt ugly.

This feeling she had, while looking in the mirror and at her changing self, was one that she never wanted to feel ever again. It was pity, doubt, and sadness all rolled into one. And Bailey was never one who took to self-pitying. She was never like that. And she vowed to herself that she'd never be like that. Especially after everything that had happened over the course of her year in London.

After changing into a loose-fitting t-shirt and a pair of old boxer shorts, she brushed her teeth, and set her alarm clock for 6. She turned off the lamp, which was sitting on her night table next to the alarm clock, and closed her eyes. Quickly enough, she fell fast asleep. That night, as every other night, she dreamt of Pogue.

"Where are you taking me?" A blindfolded Bailey asked.

"It's a secret. You'll see" He whispered into her ear.

Pogue turned a hard right, onto Laney Road. It was dark, so he had to use the brights. He looked over at Bailey sitting in the passenger seat. Her long dark blonde hair was blowing with the breeze, she was slightly shaking. He looked down at her arms and he saw that she had goose bumps.

"Is it too cold in here?" He asked.

"A little bit" came her reply.

He rolled up her window and began focusing on the road. He was taking her to the spot he and Caleb had found, the place where he would go to clear his thoughts. Near the dells, but not too far off in the woods, Caleb and Pogue came across the clearing while they were hiking, back when they were younger. They were sure no one else knew about it, because they had always found it the same as they had left it. Pogue slowed down as he came towards the path that led them to the clearing. He put Bailey's car in park and proudly exclaimed "We're here."

"Can I take my blindfold off now?"

"No not yet, hold on a second." Pogue got out of the car and made his way around towards the passenger side door. He picked Bailey up, bridal style, and carried her the rest of the way.

"You know I can walk" Bailey laughed.

"I know, but it's dark, and you'll trip." It was true. Bailey was never very graceful despite being a dancer.

Pogue walked until he spotted the clearing. His eyes turned black and suddenly there was light. Candles illuminated the night, lighting the clearing in the woods. A red satin blanket was laying next to a small fire in the center of the clearing. Pogue set her down on the blanket and leaned down towards her ear.

"You can take the blindfold off" he whispered.

She obliged. His brown eyes were matched with her blue eyes. She looked around and covered her hand with her mouth.

"Pogue, where are we? This is beautiful" she exclaimed.

Pogue sat so now he was facing her on the blanket, pulling on the box he had in his jacket. "Caleb and I found this place a few years ago. It's where I come when I'm upset and need to get away."

Bailey watched as he pulled out a black box from his jacket.

"Here, I know it isn't much, but I wanted to get you something" he said, his voice slightly higher than normal. He was nervous.

"Pogue, we agreed not to get each other anything" she said, not taking the box he was holding out to her.

"I know, but I wanted to," his voice was back to its normally deep sexy tone. "I really want you to have this."

Bailey took the box from Pogue and slowly opened it. Inside, she found the most beautiful blue heart diamond necklace she had ever seen in her life, attached to a silver chain.

"Happy Valentine's Day Bailey" he said, leaning forward to help her put the necklace on.

"Pogue, this is beautiful. I don't know what to say." She said.

Pogue looked up at her. "It's been in the family for years. It was my grandmother's. Before she passed away she gave it to my mom to give to one of her daughters, some day. And since I'm the only child, my mom thought the closest thing to having a daughter was you." He looked away. He wasn't good at the sappy stuff. "I thought it matched your eyes."

Bailey didn't know what to say. She was so taken aback by what he had just said. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything." She looked at him and met his gaze.

"Don't be sorry. You're all I wanted anyways." He replied, and leaned in to kiss her.

"I love you Pogue." She said as he pulled away. She had never said that to anyone before, well, other than her parents. But it was a different kind of love she felt for Pogue.

"I love you, Bailey" Pogue said as he leaned forward again, to kiss her once more.

Bailey woke to the sound of her alarm the next morning. Sighing, she kicked back her covers and reluctantly sat up. She had a feeling that today was going to be another long day.

Parking her car in the same parking spot she did the day before, she was greeted with Chelsea and another one of Chelsea's huge hugs.

"Hey" Chelsea greeted, in a rather happy tone of voice.

"Hey" Bailey greeted back, slinging her book back over her shoulder. "You're in a good mood this morning."

Chelsea's smile only got wider as she thought of the previous night. She dodged the subject. "We just got a new transfer student in. He's waiting back at the quad with Sarah and the others."

"Waiting?"

"Well, I did mention that I have an extremely attractive single friend and he seemed a little interested." Chelsea admitted.

Reluctantly, Bailey walked along with Chelsea to the quad. She didn't want to be set up with someone she didn't know, but she didn't want to wander the school alone either. The two of them walked up towards the group Bailey recognized as the same that was there the previous day. Except there was an addition. Quite an attractive addition.

"Hey, this is Bailey" Chelsea started introducing them.

"Hey Bailey, I'm Chase. Chelsea was right, you are beautiful." Bailey blushed. He was cute and charming.

"Oh hey, and you know what's totally weird" Chelsea chimed in, "Chase and I were comparing schedules and it looks like the two of you have all of your classes together."

"Dance, 6th period?" Bailey asked him, a little amused.

"They say I'm light on my feet." He smiled and Bailey's heart melted a little.

"Who's that guy with Bailey?" Pogue asked Caleb as he sat down next to him. Bailey and Chase were sitting very close together, laughing.

"Sarah said he was a transfer" Caleb shrugged.

"Alright class, today we're going to be talking about contemporary fiction authors." Mr. Howard turned towards the blackboard and started writing down a list of authors, including Stephen King.

"Hell yeah, Dreamcatcher was the shit!" Reid yelled out. The class snickered.

"Hell yeah it was" Chelsea muttered underneath her breathe.

Bailey looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing."

Bailey smiled. She looked over and sure enough, Reid was staring at Chelsea. He gave her one of his smirks and turned back around.

"What was that all about?" Bailey asked her new friend.

"Your guess is as good as mine" Chase replied back. "Hey, what are you doing after school?"

"From the looks of it, probably a lot of homework."

"Do you want to maybe study together? Form a study group… with just the two of us?" He was charming. Like really, really, charming.

"How could I say no to that." Bailey was smitten.

"I don't like that new guy." Pogue was telling Caleb as the two were getting changed from swim practice. "There's just something I don't like about him."

"Just give him the benefit of the doubt, Pogue. He's really not all that bad. I talked to him this afternoon during math class and he seems really nice." Caleb continued, "I think you don't like him because he was flirty with Bailey this morning in English."

Pogue looked distracted.

"Come on man, you're with Kate now. Of course Bailey was going to find out and move on. You did, right?" Caleb's voice was comforting and warm.

"Yeah well no one expected her to come back, did they?" Pogue was getting a little antsy. He needed to ride his bike, that was the only thing that ever seemed to relax him lately. "Hey man, I'm just going to go riding for a while."

"Alright, Nicky's later?" Caleb asked hopefully. He was a little more concerned about his friend than he had let on.

"Yeah, Kate and I will be there later." Pogue said, almost spitting out Kate's name.

Three hours and about 100 miles later, Pogue walked into Nicky's a little less stressed. His arm was draped around Kate and he felt content. For now, at least.

"So Bailey, can I ask where you learned to dance like that?" Chase was a little sweaty after class.

"I've been dancing ever since I could walk." She leaned over to grab her books.

"Here, let me help you with those." Chase said as he grabbed her stack of books.

"Can I ask you something?" He looked over at Bailey as they made their way to the library.

Bailey nodded.

"I'm really attracted to you." He started. Bailey felt herself start to blush.

"Thanks, but that wasn't really a question."

Chase laughed. He had a cute laugh.

"I know, I wasn't done yet" he smiled. "Do you want to go out tonight, I know it's a school night and everything, but I really want to spend time with you. Away from school."

Bailey studied him for a minute. He was definitely attractive. All the girls were practically swooning over him today, and he had that charming personality that Bailey liked. The only problem she could find about him, was that he was a little sure of himself. "What's wrong with a little confidence," Bailey thought to herself. "You could use some yourself."

"Sure," Bailey found herself saying, "I'd like that."

A few hours later Bailey and Chase were making their way towards Nicky's.

"So this Nicky's place, what exactly is it?" Chase looked over at Bailey who was concentrating on the road.

"Just the local hangout. It's pretty cool, I think you'll like it" She flashed him a smile as she pulled up to the parking lot. "Come on, let's have some fun."

They made their way into Nicky's and found Chelsea and Sarah waving them towards a table in the middle of the room.

Bailey waved back but walked towards a table in the back of the room.

"What was that all about?" Chase asked her as they sat down in a booth, facing each other.

"You said you wanted to hang out with me, away from school." Bailey gave him another smile.

"Why'd Bailey blow us off?" Sarah turned to Chelsea who was sitting on the opposite side of the table.

"Her and Chase are dating, I think" Chelsea said not really paying much attention to her table. Her eyes were glued on Reid, who was playing pool with Tyler and Aaron and Aaron's friends. She glanced over and saw Caleb and Pogue playing an intense game of foosball. She smiled to herself. They were always competitive.

"Who's dating who?" Kate pulled up her chair next to Sarah.

"Bailey and Chase." Chelsea replied, her eyes returning back to the blonde at the pool table.

"Oh, who cares."

"Kate!" Sarah replied. "That's not very nice."

"I don't care. I don't like that Bailey chick."

Hearing half of that conversation Chelsea started to feel her skin get hot. Her and Kate weren't very close. To be honest, Chelsea hated Kate. She hated the way Kate gossiped about everyone, even about Sarah her best friend, when Sarah was away. She had always wondered what the hell Pogue saw in her, from the moment Pogue and Kate started going together.

"Bailey's been through a lot, just drop it." Chelsea said in a tone of voice that told Kate not to mess with her.

Kate didn't seem to care. "Yeah, traveling must have put her and her rich parents out. Must suck for Bailey."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Chelsea was pissed.

"You don't even know the real story, you don't even know the real Bailey. Besides, you're just jealous of her because her and Pogue were in love before she left." Chelsea paused, "And now that she's back, I don't think his feelings have changed much for her."

Kate looked pissed.

"You guys, come on" Sarah tried to calm them down.

"No Sarah. You all don't know what Bailey's been though." Chelsea grabbed her purse and stood up. "And Kate, you're just jealous of Bailey because she's prettier than you, smarter than you, and had first dibs on your current boyfriend." And with that, Chelsea turned on her heel to leave an open mouth Kate and Sarah behind.

Walking up the pool table, Chelsea leaned forward and whispered something into Reid's ear. He turned around and told Tyler to take over the game for him. He followed Chelsea outside.

"Can't get enough of me?" He smirked his signature evil smirk.

"Oh fuck off!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Listen, can you watch over Bailey for me tonight?" She asked, her voice calmer, while looking him in the eyes.

"You're not staying?" He eyed her up and down. She looked pretty good, even in a pair of washed out jeans and a black tank top.

"I'm going to call it a night." She stated.

"Do you want me to come with you?" His voice was suggestive.

Chelsea rolled her eyes. "No."

Reid looked slightly taken aback.

Chelsea noticed this. "Please, it's not you. I just had an argument with Kate, that's all. I just need to sleep it off."

"Yeah, you'll need to make up for that sleep you missed last night."

"God Reid, you're such a pig." Chelsea twirled her keys around on her finger. "I gotta go."

She started past him towards her car, but he stopped her before she could get away. He pushed her up against the wall of Nicky's and stopped just inches from her face.

"But you like it." He said, his voice husky.

Chelsea leaned forward and kissed Reid passionately. But just as quickly as their tongues met, they pulled apart.

"Um, yeah, I'm going to go" Chelsea said awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'll umm… keep my eyes out for Bailey" Reid said as he started back in towards Nicky's.

Reid walked back towards Tyler who was still playing the same game at the pool table. "Did I miss anything?"

"No man, they're still losing." Tyler said. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Reid concentrated on the game. "Don't talk to me about that."

"It's a little loud in here, do you want to go somewhere quiet where we can talk?" Chase asked Bailey.

"My car?"

He nodded and the two of them stood up. He grabbed her hand and guided her outside. "Sorry, just all of that noise was giving me a headache" Chase said as he sat down in the passenger's seat.

"It's cool." Bailey said, unsure of what else to say.

A moment of silence passed.

"Can I kiss you?"

Bailey looked over at him. He was a little forward and she wasn't sure she liked that. But she remembered the way that Kate was glaring at her from across the room just a few minutes ago. And she remembered how Pogue's arm was wrapped around Kate the entire night. She let her inhibitions go and felt herself lean forward.

Their lips met, ever so softly. He was kissing her gently, as if she were fragile and he didn't want to break her. They pulled away slowly.

"That was nice" Bailey said while opening her eyes.

"Yeah, it was" Chase said as he leaned in once more.

This time their kiss was a little rougher, a little more passionate, and a lot longer. Their tongues danced in each other's mouth and Bailey found herself enjoying every minute of it.

Completely unaware of it, they were being watched. Reid wasn't sure he liked the new guy. There was something weird about him. Shrugging it off, he turned around and made his way inside. He found Tyler, still at the pool tables, and told him that they needed to go.

"Why man, it's still early." Tyler complained.

"Dude, come on." Reid pushed him. They made their way outside towards Tyler's hummer and Reid noticed that Bailey's car was gone.

"I seriously don't understand why we have to leave so early" Tyler complained as he started up his hummer.

"Stop being such a bitch about it." Reid retorted.

Tyler huffed in an attempt to show Reid that he didn't want to go, but nonetheless drove the familiar path back towards their dorms.

"Do me a favor and lick my balls" Reid said after a few moments of Tyler being awkwardly silent had passed.

Tyler slammed on the brakes in shock. "What the fuck?"

"Well if you're going to act like such a girl, you might as well do it."

Ignoring his friend's comment Tyler drove the rest of the way home, in an angry silence.