The girls all got into the car. They started to drive when Kate and Sarah gave each other a look.
"What?" Vanessa asked.
"So, now we've got you trapped. Spill on Reid." Kate turned around in her seat and grinned at Vanessa.
"We promise we won't tell." Sarah looked at Vanessa through her rear-view mirror.
Vanessa sighed. Wasn't it obvious what was going on between her and Reid? She realized she had to tell something to get them to stop bugging her. She felt like she was being bombarded.
"Isn't it obvious?" She asked out loud.
"Isn't WHAT obvious?" Sarah questioned, clearly leading her on.
Vanessa shrugged. "I think he likes me."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Well from what I've seen, the liking each other thing goes more then one way."
Vanessa felt her cheeks turn red. Why couldn't she be better at concealing her emotions?
Sarah noticed the redness in her cheeks. "You so like him!" she squealed.
"I knew it." Kate turned back around in her seat.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Vanessa mumbled under her breath.
"What do you mean?" Sarah asked. "Of course it matters. You like him and he likes you." She raised her eyebrows a bit.
"Things are kind of complicated." Vanessa looked out the window.
Sarah thought about everything that had happened with her and Caleb. She looked over at Vanessa, trying to see if she knew anything about the Sons. But Vanessa was looking out the window, and besides, something like that was impossible to tell if someone knew. Sarah decided to let it go; if Reid told her, then surely he would have mentioned that Sarah knew as well. And she hoped that Vanessa could come to her with something like that.
The rest of the car ride consisted of small conversations and other various topics. They pulled up to Nicky's and all got out of the car. Sarah was super pumped to party, along with Kate. Vanessa however, was not. She was feeling upset and tired.
When they got inside Nicky's they were immediately surrounded by Caleb and Pogue. Tyler was there, but drifting to the corner, acting a little weird. He was going to stay with Reid because his friend had been drinking by himself, but Reid kicked him out. Tyler knew that Reid really liked Vanessa and he thought Vanessa really liked him. He just didn't want Reid to mess this up.
Caleb looked over at Vanessa and smiled. "I'm glad you decided to come out tonight."
Vanessa smiled back. She thought Caleb and Sarah were so cute together. She thought for a minute, wondering if she and Reid could be like that, but decided that things were always going to be complicated for her. She looked over at Tyler, who was giving her weird glances.
"Everything okay?" she asked him. Vanessa knew he was shy, but he would normally at least look at her.
Tyler nodded his head yes, but still meet her gaze. Vanessa narrowed her eyes at him. Did she dare read his mind? She concentrated and started to delve into his thoughts. Images started to flow into her own mind. Reid, with a small bottle of vodka, and telling Tyler to get the fuck out. When she pulled out she was in shock. She didn't know she had this big of an effect on him. It was then that she realized Selene was right, she couldn't continue to block Reid off.
Pogue noticed Vanessa's odd expression on her face. "You okay?" he asked.
Vanessa snapped out of it and shook her head. "Yeah I'm fine. I just…got caught up in my own thoughts." She faked a smile.
He nodded.
"Come on we're going to go find a table," Sarah said, walking over to an empty table and sitting down.
"Save a seat for me. I've just got to make a call," Vanessa told them as she walked off into a corner of the bar where she could hear.
She dialed Reid's cell phone number. It rang and rang and then finally went to voicemail. She didn't bother leaving a message, instead she just hung up. Vanessa brought her cell phone to her chin before putting it back into her pocket and walking back over to the table.
"What was that about?" Sarah asked.
"Nothing." Vanessa sat down at the table.
Tyler looked worried. He wondered if Vanessa called Reid. He looked over at her, and she looked pretty composed. So he figured nothing happened.
"So where is Reid anyway?" Kate asked.
Before anyone could say anything, Vanessa got up to pick a song from the jukebox.
"What's up with her?" Pogue asked.
Sarah smiled. "I think she likes Reid."
Kate and Sarah giggled. The guys all looked at Tyler for answers; they figured Reid would have told him something.
"I don't know anything." He threw his hands in the air.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Sure you don't."
"You've always sucked at lying Baby Boy," Pogue chuckled.
Caleb laughed and patted Tyler on the back. "Come on. Fess up."
Tyler shrugged. "He was just kind of tired tonight. So he decided to stay in." He hoped to God that everyone would buy that.
"Since when does Reid turn down a party?" Caleb raised his eyebrows.
Shit. "I don't know," Tyler shrugged.
"Never," Sarah responded.
"Well maybe things are changing." Nobody had noticed that Vanessa had returned to the table.
Sarah was surprised on how much this conversation had offended Vanessa. She looked over at Kate who rolled her eyes, and then signaled that they should drop the conversation.
Vanessa sat down and felt uncomfortable in the newly found awkward silence. "Anybody want anything to drink?" she asked, standing back up.
"I'll have whatever's on tap," Pogue answered, flashing her his killer smile.
"I'll just sip from that," Kate added.
"Just a coke for me," Caleb said.
Vanessa looked over at Sarah who was getting up from her seat. "No its fine. I've got it," she told Sarah.
"There's no way you can carry all of that," Sarah laughed. "Besides, I used to waitress."
Vanessa agreed; she really didn't want to cause a scene. The girls walked up to the bar.
"Sorry about that. Sometimes the guys don't know when enough is enough," Sarah apologized. She was hoping to maybe get something out of Vanessa, but was starting to realize that the girl would never open up. At least not any time in the near future.
"It's okay," Vanessa responded. "To tell you the truth I don't really know what's going on between Reid and I. It's all very complicated."
Sarah never thought of Reid as the complicated type; he tended to be the most straightforward of the group. She wondered again... no. Vanessa would come to her if he told her about the Sons. But then again, what else could she be referring to that was so complicated?
"What do you mean by complicated?" she prodded, glad that Vanessa was at least talking about it.
Vanessa looked at Sarah, wondering briefly if she knew about the powers of the Sons. After all, she was dating Caleb, and from the looks of it, the two had been together for a while. She made a mental note to ask Reid if Caleb told Sarah. Not that it really mattered - there was no way she was letting her new friend know about herself. Sarah was the closest thing she had to a real friend - besides Selene, but that didn't really count - and it was a new experience for her.
"Nothing really," she shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay," Sarah sighed. She was getting rather frustrated with how hard it was getting Vanessa to open up to her.
Vanessa's curiosity and longing to spill her guts out to someone started to get the better of her. She could always read Sarah's mind, right? She concentrated and started to go into Sarah's head. Images started to flash through her own mind. When she was all done she pulled out and said nothing. Sarah did know, Vanessa didn't really doubt that. Still, she decided it was best to not bring up the whole matter.
The drinks appeared on the counter before the conversation could continue. Vanessa paid with her credit card, not wanting Sarah to have to pay.
They managed to carry all of the drinks between the two of them and headed back to the table. Vanessa was glad to get away from Sarah's questions.
Once they were situated again, she saw Kate give Sarah a look to see if Sarah got any information about Vanessa and Reid. Sarah shook her head no. Vanessa found it kind of funny that the girls didn't think she knew what was going on, and was getting kind of irritated with how they wouldn't stop trying to get her to talk about it. Vanessa almost blurted out for them to just leave it alone, but bit her tongue at the last second.
"I think I'm just gonna head out," she said, not wanting to lose her temper. Even though they were annoying her right now, she still considered everyone at the table her friend. And she didn't want to lose that.
Tyler got a look of concern on his face. "Come on Vanessa; just stay for a bit longer," he pleaded.
"How are you going to get back to the dorms?" Sarah asked. After all, she had given Vanessa a ride here.
"I'm starting to get a headache," she lied. Well, it wasn't a total lie. She was gonna get one soon enough if everyone didn't stop bugging her.
"I can just get a cab," she reassured everyone.
"Well if you stay a bit longer then you won't have to waste the money on one," Tyler pointed out.
"It's alright, I've got it," she smiled, wondering why someone as rich as Tyler would stop to consider the money issue. He must really have a reason for wanting her to stay.
It was tempting for Vanessa to read Tyler's mind to see what he was up to. But she knew that if she did it there then everyone would surely know that she was doing something odd.
Before anyone could say another word Vanessa turned around and left Nicky's. She sighed with relief when she got outside. She walked over to the road and hailed a taxi, stopping the first one that drove by. She climbed in and told the driver the address of the school.
She took the time to herself in the cab to think about everything that was going on. She couldn't stop thinking about Reid. She had to go and tell him how she really felt. Vanessa couldn't deny it any longer. She sat back against the seat, satisfied with her decision. She hated when she didn't know what to do, and was glad to have finally made up her mind.
The cab finally pulled up to Spencer's and she paid the cab driver with a nice tip. Vanessa climbed out of the car and took a deep breath as the cab drove away into the night. If she was going to do this, she might as well do it now.
She walked up to Reid's door, taking a deep breath. She actually felt ... nervous. But she knew she was doing the right thing. She smiled, trying to imagine Reid's reaction. Vanessa couldn't wait to feel his lips on hers again. Before knocking on his door, she ran her hand through her hair, making sure it didn't get messed up from the wind. Once she was confident she looked great, she knocked, and waited for him to answer.
"Just a minute," she heard his voice inside, and some scrambling around. She wondered if he had fallen asleep or something.
Reid filled the doorway, blocking anyone's view to his room. "What do you want...?" he sounded irritated. His eyes focused a bit, allowing him to take in who was at the door. "Vanessa!" he gasped. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to..." Vanessa paused, looking him over. He only had on a pair of jeans, and his hair looked a bit disheveled. "What are you doing anyway?" she pushed the door open to look inside his room.
Reid stumbled backwards – apparently, he had been drinking. She looked inside and saw a bleached blonde girl she recognized from her science class. She always thought the girl looked like a total slut.
"Hey Vanessa," the girl smiled slyly at her.
Vanessa looked back over at Reid. He wouldn't meet her eyes. She was pissed and invaded the girl's mind without thinking that she might not like what she was going to see. Images of the two of them filled her head. Reid's hands all over her... she pulled out of her mind, not wanting to see any more. She gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
"What the hell," she asked Reid, her voice sounding much calmer then she felt. Inside, she was fuming. She didn't know which emotion to latch on to; she wanted to throw things and break down and cry at the same time.
"I'm sorry," Reid finally spoke, still avoiding her gaze.
"Go to hell," she sneered, turning around and slamming the door in his face.
She held back tears, but it was really hard. They weren't even dating so she couldn't get that mad at him. But she was hurt and felt like she had been punched in the stomach and slapped across the face. She ran up to her room, wanting to get there before another student witnessed her bursting into tears.
Back in Reid's dorm…
Reid stood there in shock. The sound of his phone ringing brought him back, and he looked at the display to see who was calling him. Tyler. He hit the ignore button. He didn't want to deal with Tyler right now.
"Get out of here," he said, turning around to face the blonde, throwing her shirt in her face.
His eyes glinted with anger, and she left as soon as she got herself together. Not without squeezing in a quick "call me sometime." Reid didn't respond. He didn't know her number. Nor did he care to get it.
"Fuck!" he screamed and he sat down on his bed, taking another swig of vodka. He screwed up big time. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.
He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind and let the alcohol take over. But all he could see was the look on Vanessa's face when she realized what was going on. The mirror in his bathroom shattered and he felt his blood boil with anger. Anger at himself, for doing this to her. Something good finally happened to him, and he destroyed it. He could only imagine his reputation now. Reid Garwin - total fuckup. He would never be as perfect as Caleb, as effortlessly confident as Pogue, or as nice as Tyler.
He had to see her. He threw on a sweatshirt, his beanie, and his black fingerless gloves. He ran through the hallway, stumbling every now and then, not caring who saw him. He had to get to her room.
Reid could hear her crying from outside the door. He put his hand on the doorknob, and turned it, too drunk to think to knock.
Once inside, he collapsed on her floor, sitting on his knees, and looked up to where she was lying on her bed.
"What don't you get about 'leave me the fuck alone?'" she got off her bed and walked toward him, pulling her arm back as if about to take a swing at him. He grabbed her arm before she could do anything, holding her as close as he could possibly manage.
"I can't leave you alone, Vanessa," his blue eyes stared straight into hers. "I can't stop thinking about you. But you kept turning me down. Over and over." He leaned against her for support. "I just couldn't take it anymore."
"Yea well, you made that quite obvious." She pulled away from him, leaving him standing alone. "Is that why you called that slut?"
"I didn't call her." He looked down to the ground. "She needed some help with her homework, so she called me and I told her to come over. So she did, and we talked for a bit. And drank. And then..." he blew a piece of hair out of his face, "I don't know what happened," he pleaded.
"Yea, well, she certainly did." Vanessa ran her hands through her hair, trying to get the images of them out of her head. Just thinking about her made her burst into tears again. She looked back up at Reid her eyes piercing into his.
"Vanessa, I was drunk," he begged.
"And just think. I came over there to tell you I was sorry. That I was WRONG!" She picked a book up off her counter and threw it at him.
It hit him in the arm, causing him to lose his balance and collide into the wall behind him. He leaned against it, sliding down to eventually sit on the ground.
"I'm sorry." She felt her eyes fill with tears again and looked at him sitting on the ground. He looked so helpless. No matter how mad she was, she still cared about him.
He looked up and saw the tears that were sliding down her face. "Please don't cry Vanessa." He shook his head.
She tentatively walked over to him, sitting down next to him.
"Sorry for throwing the book at you," she said, placing her hand on his arm, hoping she didn't actually hurt him.
"I'll survive." He still wouldn't look at her.
She placed her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes. "Why did you do it?" she asked.
"Because I love you." He paused, realizing what he just said. "And you kept rejecting me. What the hell was I supposed to do? I put everything out there, and you gave me nothing back."
Vanessa realized that it was her fault. Wasn't she the one always telling him to stay away from her? That she didn't care for him? That she didn't care at all?
A:N// Yay! Sorry this took sooo long. I had a very busy weekend and so did Michelle. But chapter 11 will be up really soon!