Disclaimer: I own nothing. Yeah, you've all heard this same song and dance before. Let's move on.
Val's eyes darted between Lean Dean and Tyler, the smile slowly fading from her face. She had seen Tyler just minutes before and she had hoped that he would come over to her and talk. They had so much to catch up on. After all, wasn't Tyler one of the reasons she had come to reunion in the first place? She had tried to convince herself that she didn't care how Tyler was doing. But, deep inside, she knew that was just a lie. Hadn't she really wanted to see how he was doing?......To see if he had missed her?
Val had to admit that she had been thrilled when Tyler had started across the gym towards her. To bad he wasn't the only one coming towards her.
Val hadn't planned on Lean Dean. Sure, he had always been a nice guy in school and normally Val would have loved to chat with him and find out what he had been up to. But, she had just seen Tyler. Couldn't Lean Dean wait?
Oh boy, she thought as she watched the two boys glance at each other and then back at her. The look on both of their faces was definitely determination. Val wondered what she had gotten into.
...............................
Tyler did not like Lean Dean. He did not like the fact that he was racing the 'glandular case' to Val. His Val. He did not like how Lean Dean's legs were so much longer than his own. As it was, Lean Dean's pace was eating up the space between he and Val way too fast for Tyler's taste.
Tyler shook his head in disgust. Looks like Lean Dean hasn't changed much since high school, he thought.
It wasn't hard for Tyler to remember the last time that Dean had raced him to Val. Then, though, they both had had to weave their path through fellow students on their way to class. This time it was different. This time only open space separated the two boys from Val.
Tyler picked up his pace when he realized that Dean was somehow walking faster.
Just a few more steps..............
"Tyler, there you are!" A voice called.
Tyler was forced to stop abruptly in his tracks as somebody stepped right directly into his path. He looked down at the petite blond and gritted his teeth. Heather. He should have known.
"I have been looking all over for you!" She cried, her angry eyes piercing him.
Tyler swallowed and looked over Heather's head to where Dean was slowing to a stop in front of Val. Tyler closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat. Looks like Lean Dean won again, he thought miserably. If only he could have been a little faster............
"Where's my punch?" Heather asked, looking at his empty hands.
"I, um....," Tyler started, opening his eyes and watching as Dean led Val away across the gym. He looked back at Heather, who watched him, her eyes narrowed. "I just got distracted," Tyler managed to say.
Yeah, by a certain blond, Heather thought. Heather felt her anger build within her throat. Heather had had a crush on Tyler every since they had been in junior high together. But, it was hard to be so devoted to a guy like Tyler who seemed to worship the ground another girl walked on. And it just wasn't any other girl. It was Val Lanier. The golden princess of all that was good. Heather wanted to throw up. Everyone loved Val. Val was great. Perfect. And Heather was...? No one ever cared about Heather as long as Val was around.
But, that was all going to change. Well, it would if Heather managed to keep Tyler's attention on her for a while. Tyler will see that I am so better than that Val Lanier, Heather thought smugly, and once Tyler and I are together, people won't care anything about Val Lanier anymore.
Heather laid a hand on Tyler's arm. "C'mon," she said, smiling through her gritted teeth. "Let's go get that punch together."
Tyler glanced once more towards the side of the gym where Val and Dean sat talking. Dean said something and Val laughed, throwing her head back. Tyler looked away. It was supposed to be him sitting with Val, making her laugh. It was supposed to be him.
.................................
Val was being polite. Dean had ended up getting to her before Tyler and had automatically starting talking her ear off. He was so excited about seeing her again. He wanted to tell her everything he had been up to, ranging from his years in college to his job selling insurance. So, Val sat quietly and let him talk. Truly, she was interested in what her classmate had to say. It was just that Tyler had been so close.
She glanced across the gym and found Tyler standing with Heather. Val could see that they were talking and for a brief second, Val felt jealous. Why couldn't she be the one to talk to Tyler right then? She wished she knew what they were talking about.
She looked back at Dean as he started to tell her about playing basketball in college. She laughed wholeheartedly when he told her about the team initiation ceremony. It wasn't exactly funny because of what they had done, but because it reminded Val of a time when she had been part of the EMT initiation. And that led her mind back to Tyler.
Val glanced across the gym again just as Tyler and Heather started walking away from where they had stood. Her eyes focused on Heather's hand, resting possessively on Tyler's suit jacket. Oh, she thought, turning back to Dean. That's how it is.
Val tried not to be disappointed, but her mind was already hard at work. She was surprised that Tyler and Heather had stayed in contact through the years. It was obvious that they were together now, weren't they? After all, Heather had been holding on to Tyler's arm pretty tightly.
"Now, let me show you my real accomplishment since high school," Dean said, drawing Val's attention out of her thoughts.
Dean reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his wallet.
....................................
Tyler was all too aware of Heather's hand on his arm as they approached the drink table. Her fingers were grasped tightly around his arm as if she were hanging on for dear life. He wished she would let go. He didn't want to deal with her for the rest of the night. Couldn't she just go off with her friends, make fun of other people and leave him alone?
All Tyler wanted to do was sulk. It felt as if the whole world had fallen down around him in mere minutes. He had had one chance with Val tonight and he had blown it. Now, he thought, I'll never get to talk to her. Lean Dean will be hanging over her all night. Could it get any worse? Tyler had lost Val once to Dean and it looked as if he had just done it again.
"Ugh!" Heather exclaimed as they reached the refreshments table. "Do you see those two? They're so gross!"
She reached for a glass of punch and Tyler took the opportunity to look at who she was talking about. He smiled as his eyes fell upon Jamie and Caitie, staring at each other in total silence. Well, he thought, at least someone is happy.
He watched them for a minute, studying both of their faces. Caitie stared up at Jamie as if his eyes held all the answers in the world. Her mouth was partway open as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Jamie, on the other hand, stared seriously at the girl in front of him. He looked as if he was searching her face for something. Something, only he could see.
Tyler's heart started to pound. He knew what Jamie was looking for because Tyler, too, had looked for it before. In Val's face. It was the beauty of knowing that that other person feels the same way you do. That they would go to the ends of the earth just to spend one day with you.
Tyler glanced down at Jamie and Caitie's hands. Jamie held onto Caitie's hand, no doubt feeling the electric connection that ran between them. Tyler had felt that before too, when he had touched Val's hand.
Jamie and Caitie were in their own little world. They had no idea what was going on around them. Slowly, Tyler's heart lifted as he realized that he, too, wanted to feel that way. With one person, one person in particular.
Heather handed him a glass of punch and then raised her own glass.
"To us," she said, smiling contently.
Tyler looked away from his friends and stared at Heather. In that instant of time, his mind was made up.
"No," he said, before his mind could talk him out of it.
The smile dropped from Heather's face quickly and she stared at him questioningly.
Tyler set his untouched punch back down on the table and turned on his heel. He walked away, a smile already forming on his face. He could just see how red Heather's face was turning in his mind. She'll probably never forgive me, he thought and almost laughed. He no longer cared about Heather. She didn't matter anymore. Just like Dean didn't matter. He might have beaten Tyler in the past, but Tyler would not him win this time. Not when she was so important to him.
Tyler's smile grew as he walked away from Heather, in search of Val.
Okay, so what did you think? Please, please, please review.
Val's eyes darted between Lean Dean and Tyler, the smile slowly fading from her face. She had seen Tyler just minutes before and she had hoped that he would come over to her and talk. They had so much to catch up on. After all, wasn't Tyler one of the reasons she had come to reunion in the first place? She had tried to convince herself that she didn't care how Tyler was doing. But, deep inside, she knew that was just a lie. Hadn't she really wanted to see how he was doing?......To see if he had missed her?
Val had to admit that she had been thrilled when Tyler had started across the gym towards her. To bad he wasn't the only one coming towards her.
Val hadn't planned on Lean Dean. Sure, he had always been a nice guy in school and normally Val would have loved to chat with him and find out what he had been up to. But, she had just seen Tyler. Couldn't Lean Dean wait?
Oh boy, she thought as she watched the two boys glance at each other and then back at her. The look on both of their faces was definitely determination. Val wondered what she had gotten into.
...............................
Tyler did not like Lean Dean. He did not like the fact that he was racing the 'glandular case' to Val. His Val. He did not like how Lean Dean's legs were so much longer than his own. As it was, Lean Dean's pace was eating up the space between he and Val way too fast for Tyler's taste.
Tyler shook his head in disgust. Looks like Lean Dean hasn't changed much since high school, he thought.
It wasn't hard for Tyler to remember the last time that Dean had raced him to Val. Then, though, they both had had to weave their path through fellow students on their way to class. This time it was different. This time only open space separated the two boys from Val.
Tyler picked up his pace when he realized that Dean was somehow walking faster.
Just a few more steps..............
"Tyler, there you are!" A voice called.
Tyler was forced to stop abruptly in his tracks as somebody stepped right directly into his path. He looked down at the petite blond and gritted his teeth. Heather. He should have known.
"I have been looking all over for you!" She cried, her angry eyes piercing him.
Tyler swallowed and looked over Heather's head to where Dean was slowing to a stop in front of Val. Tyler closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat. Looks like Lean Dean won again, he thought miserably. If only he could have been a little faster............
"Where's my punch?" Heather asked, looking at his empty hands.
"I, um....," Tyler started, opening his eyes and watching as Dean led Val away across the gym. He looked back at Heather, who watched him, her eyes narrowed. "I just got distracted," Tyler managed to say.
Yeah, by a certain blond, Heather thought. Heather felt her anger build within her throat. Heather had had a crush on Tyler every since they had been in junior high together. But, it was hard to be so devoted to a guy like Tyler who seemed to worship the ground another girl walked on. And it just wasn't any other girl. It was Val Lanier. The golden princess of all that was good. Heather wanted to throw up. Everyone loved Val. Val was great. Perfect. And Heather was...? No one ever cared about Heather as long as Val was around.
But, that was all going to change. Well, it would if Heather managed to keep Tyler's attention on her for a while. Tyler will see that I am so better than that Val Lanier, Heather thought smugly, and once Tyler and I are together, people won't care anything about Val Lanier anymore.
Heather laid a hand on Tyler's arm. "C'mon," she said, smiling through her gritted teeth. "Let's go get that punch together."
Tyler glanced once more towards the side of the gym where Val and Dean sat talking. Dean said something and Val laughed, throwing her head back. Tyler looked away. It was supposed to be him sitting with Val, making her laugh. It was supposed to be him.
.................................
Val was being polite. Dean had ended up getting to her before Tyler and had automatically starting talking her ear off. He was so excited about seeing her again. He wanted to tell her everything he had been up to, ranging from his years in college to his job selling insurance. So, Val sat quietly and let him talk. Truly, she was interested in what her classmate had to say. It was just that Tyler had been so close.
She glanced across the gym and found Tyler standing with Heather. Val could see that they were talking and for a brief second, Val felt jealous. Why couldn't she be the one to talk to Tyler right then? She wished she knew what they were talking about.
She looked back at Dean as he started to tell her about playing basketball in college. She laughed wholeheartedly when he told her about the team initiation ceremony. It wasn't exactly funny because of what they had done, but because it reminded Val of a time when she had been part of the EMT initiation. And that led her mind back to Tyler.
Val glanced across the gym again just as Tyler and Heather started walking away from where they had stood. Her eyes focused on Heather's hand, resting possessively on Tyler's suit jacket. Oh, she thought, turning back to Dean. That's how it is.
Val tried not to be disappointed, but her mind was already hard at work. She was surprised that Tyler and Heather had stayed in contact through the years. It was obvious that they were together now, weren't they? After all, Heather had been holding on to Tyler's arm pretty tightly.
"Now, let me show you my real accomplishment since high school," Dean said, drawing Val's attention out of her thoughts.
Dean reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his wallet.
....................................
Tyler was all too aware of Heather's hand on his arm as they approached the drink table. Her fingers were grasped tightly around his arm as if she were hanging on for dear life. He wished she would let go. He didn't want to deal with her for the rest of the night. Couldn't she just go off with her friends, make fun of other people and leave him alone?
All Tyler wanted to do was sulk. It felt as if the whole world had fallen down around him in mere minutes. He had had one chance with Val tonight and he had blown it. Now, he thought, I'll never get to talk to her. Lean Dean will be hanging over her all night. Could it get any worse? Tyler had lost Val once to Dean and it looked as if he had just done it again.
"Ugh!" Heather exclaimed as they reached the refreshments table. "Do you see those two? They're so gross!"
She reached for a glass of punch and Tyler took the opportunity to look at who she was talking about. He smiled as his eyes fell upon Jamie and Caitie, staring at each other in total silence. Well, he thought, at least someone is happy.
He watched them for a minute, studying both of their faces. Caitie stared up at Jamie as if his eyes held all the answers in the world. Her mouth was partway open as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Jamie, on the other hand, stared seriously at the girl in front of him. He looked as if he was searching her face for something. Something, only he could see.
Tyler's heart started to pound. He knew what Jamie was looking for because Tyler, too, had looked for it before. In Val's face. It was the beauty of knowing that that other person feels the same way you do. That they would go to the ends of the earth just to spend one day with you.
Tyler glanced down at Jamie and Caitie's hands. Jamie held onto Caitie's hand, no doubt feeling the electric connection that ran between them. Tyler had felt that before too, when he had touched Val's hand.
Jamie and Caitie were in their own little world. They had no idea what was going on around them. Slowly, Tyler's heart lifted as he realized that he, too, wanted to feel that way. With one person, one person in particular.
Heather handed him a glass of punch and then raised her own glass.
"To us," she said, smiling contently.
Tyler looked away from his friends and stared at Heather. In that instant of time, his mind was made up.
"No," he said, before his mind could talk him out of it.
The smile dropped from Heather's face quickly and she stared at him questioningly.
Tyler set his untouched punch back down on the table and turned on his heel. He walked away, a smile already forming on his face. He could just see how red Heather's face was turning in his mind. She'll probably never forgive me, he thought and almost laughed. He no longer cared about Heather. She didn't matter anymore. Just like Dean didn't matter. He might have beaten Tyler in the past, but Tyler would not him win this time. Not when she was so important to him.
Tyler's smile grew as he walked away from Heather, in search of Val.
Okay, so what did you think? Please, please, please review.
