Disclaimer: I don't own Higher Ground or anything remotely related to it! *tear* How I wish I did, though!
Author's Note: Alrighty, compared to that insanely long chapter, I'm going to write a much shorter one here. It'll still be filled with loads of fluffy goodness (including much S&S and a lot of D&D). Enjoy!
"Peter, they have to get some sort of reward," Sophie was saying. They were sitting in Peter's office on Monday afternoon. Classes had just ended, and they were both relaxing. Sophie was sitting across from Peter. She was slouching down into her chair with her legs stretched out in front of her. Peter was sitting back in his chair with his feet up on his desk. "Look how well they did on their solos. They didn't try and visit each other," she said pointedly. They both chuckled in memory of Scott's visit to Shelby's solo site, which resulted in her escape. "They filled out their answers, and wrote in their journals."
"Fine, fine! I agree, okay? You've won! Stop pushing!" he said, throwing his hands up in defeat. Sophie just laughed. "So, what did you have in mind?"
"How about girls/guys night in?" she asked, a sly smile passing over her face.
"A what?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Peter! You mean to tell me you've never had a guys night in?" He just laughed. "You know, movies, goodies, gossip, no sleep. Fun!" she said. She was obviously very excited about this.
"Are you serious?" he asked, a smile he was trying to hide forming on his lips. She nodded. "Fine, but you organize it! I'm in over my head with this stuff," he explained, waving his arms over his desk.
"I will. Just let me handle everything," she said, grinning and getting up.
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"But, Sophie, we just had group today!" David complained as Sophie told them to be in the lodge in ten minutes.
"I know, but there are new... uh... developments. Pass the message onto the others who aren't here," she replied in an aggravated tone.
"Alright, David, go get the guys from the dorm, I'll get the girls, and Jess could you go get your sis and Scott?" Daisy said. They all nodded and left. Ten minutes later, a large group of complaining teens was assembled in the lodge.
"This better be important, I have real pressing things to get to," Shelby complained. Over the last week, the fact that her wedding was approaching had really hit her hard and she was starting to stress about preparations. Scott was doing his best to keep her calm, but he was only one person! What he did was mainly just go about his business, let Shel deal with anything she needed to and if she wanted him, he'd always be around to be of help. Sophie and Peter had also lent their services, not to mention Jules, Daisy, and Jess who were like full time staff.
"It's okay, Shel, don't worry, everything'll be fine," Scott said soothingly. She just laid her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand.
"Alright, everyone here?" Sophie asked.
"Uh, no, we're missing Emma and Alex," Juliette pointed out.
"Not anymore," Emma said, sitting down, Alex taking a seat beside her. Emma's hair was pulled into a newly formed ponytail to hide the fact that it was very disheveled. They both were in a very good mood. Most of the group started giggling. Sophie chose to ignore this.
"Good. I've been talking to Peter and we've come to a decision. We were both very impressed with how well you guys did on your solo."
"Yeah, unlike some people who found it impossible to stay away from each other," Shelby said, winking at Scott, who blushed slightly. All the Cliffhangers exploded with laughter. Sophie gave her a little look that basically said "watch it." Shelby just smirked in response.
"Okay, so what's going on?" Auggie asked getting a little impatient. Everyone started agreeing with him. Sophie put her hands up to silence them.
"Since Peter and I are impressed with how well you did on your solos, and how well you were behaving during our absence," she said giving meaningful looks to the Rivergliders and then Cliffhangers respectively. Everyone smiled expectantly. "Peter has allowed me to throw you guys a sort of..."
"Party!" they all screamed at the same time. They were all jumping around. Sophie laughed. She let them have their fun. When they finally sat down and went quiet, she continued.
"Sort of. You guys get a sort of girls/guys night in. You know: movies, sweets, talking, staying up until whenever..." They all jumped up again, yelling and screaming, excitement all over the place. Sophie just left them to handle it with a final: "If you guys have suggestions for the movies, leave them on Peter's desk. Also, try not and tell too many people!" She turned and went to see how Peter was doing with all his paperwork.
Shelby and Scott had also left, but not to go see Peter. They went to their room.
"Shel, before you start going nuts on that stuff-" Scott began to protest. He'd hardly seen her lately. She turned around and gave him an earth-stopping kiss. When she pulled away, they were both smiling. "Wow," he whispered.
"What?" she whispered back, smiling cutely.
"Nothing," he assured. He looked into her eyes. They both smiled. Their bodies molded together. Scott cupped her face with his hands while Shelby put her hands around his neck. She slowly started running her hands through his messy blond curly hair as they kissed. Scott gently led her over to the bed, never breaking of the kiss. She lay down, Scott positioning himself ever so gently on top of her. As an idea crossed her mind she spoke up.
"Scott, we can't."
"Why not?" he asked, confused.
"No condom," she replied disappointedly. Scott reached into his back pocket. "Got one?" she asked. Relief then came on his face.
"Town... tux shopping," he said with a shrug. She giggled at that thought. He just leaned in and continued to kiss her.
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Finally, Friday night came. The week went by very slowly for the Cliffhangers and Rivergliders who were impatiently waiting for their X night, as they'd come to call it, so others wouldn't find out and get jealous.
They hardly paid attention in class all morning, so Sophie and Peter just dismissed them for the afternoon, figuring it was a waste to keep them in class since they weren't learning anything. They all loved this. Sophie, who had gotten about a million film suggestions, brought Shelby and Scott to the video rental store. Everyone else was way too excited to be jealous about them being able to go to town... well, Agnes.
"So, Soph, why'd you choose us?" Scott asked, sitting in the back seat, his arm around Shelby's shoulders.
"Because, I need to talk to you. And because most of the suggestions came from you two." She laughed.
"Wait a sec," Shelby said, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by you have to talk to us?"
"Well, you see... uh, your walls aren't sound proof," she hinted. "And the Cliffie and Gliders' (as she'd come to call them) dorm are right beside..." Scott and Shelby looked at each other with raised eyebrows and then exploded laughing. "They're happy you're not doing that in their dorm, but they can still hear... uh... a lot." Sophie was obviously a little uncomfortable telling them this.
"Oh my gosh! Uh, we'll try to keep it down," Shelby said, still laughing. Scott was unable to speak as he was doubled up laughing, his sides were starting to hurt and he was gasping for air. The fact that he was laughing so hard was making Shelby laugh. They finally calmed down. "Well, I must say I wasn't exactly expecting... that!"
"Neither was I. Man, that was classic!" Scott said, sighing and putting his arm back around Shelby's shoulders.
"I must say, I wasn't expecting that reaction. Okay, guys, look. I know you're getting engaged and I know what goes one in that room of yours, but please, try and keep it to a minimum, or at least quiet. I'm discreet about this, but Peter might not see it the same way. If it gets out of hand, we may have to take that room away from you," Sophie warned. Her voice was very warm and gentle, but it was firm. The couple looked horrified.
"We'll be good," they said quickly and at the same time. They then gave each other a high five for their timing.
"Okay, here we are," Sophie said, pulling up in front of the Agnes Video Store. Shelby and Scott looked on in awe. This was their first time doing something normal in just about two years. Scott jumped out of the car and ran into the store.
"Like a kid in a candy store," Shelby said lovingly, shaking her head, as she and Sophie walked in. Sophie just chuckled softly to herself at the thought of a little Scott in a candy store. "Ya, I know how you feel," Shelby continued, seeing the look on Sophie's face. "Where is he?" she asked as they looked around the store for a tall blond. When she found him she went over with a list Sophie had given her.
"So, how's it going?" he asked. Shelby was about to answer when she noticed he was talking to someone. She went up to him and took his hand. He looked at her. "Oh, Kris, this is Shelby," he introduces. "We're engaged," he told Kris proudly.
"Ha, ha! Barringer got engaged!" Kris answered. He was about the same height as Scott, but very different. He was a very tough looking black guy. He had a face that made him look as if he were very rough. He also had somewhat of an urban glare in his eyes. This scared Shelby a little, but she didn't let it show.
"Nice to meet you," she said, really coldly, narrowing her eyes.
"Ye, you too," he said. He looked her over.
"Kris!" Scott said playfully, though he wanted him to stop looking at Shel like that. He punched him in the arm.
"Hey, you know I win everytime, hommie!" he said, punching him back playfully, but harder.
"Scott," Shelby cut in, putting her hand on Scott's chest lightly. Kris made the sound of a whip cracking.
"Man, she got ya whipped!"
"Hey!" Shelby came right in his face. "Watch it!" she said menacingly.
"Shel, it's okay. It's just Kris. That's his style," Scott soothed. Shelby's face softened when she heard Scott's voice, but her eyes kept their icy hardness.
"Whatever, just don't camp in my face," she said, giving him the death glare. Then she turned to Scott and her face immediately softened. "Sophie wanted us to find these movies." She left to find Sophie after giving a slip of paper to Scott.
"Well, I gotta say, you picked a good one," Kris said, checking her out as she walked off.
"Man! We're getting married! Don't check her out!" Scott said a little more firmly this time. "So, how about you, what's new?"
"Well, I'm still a damn good freestyler." Scott laughed.
"Ya never really did change, did ya?" he asked, smiling.
"Nah. I'm going for a record deal soon. I actually have a meeting in Victoria," he said.
"Man! That's so cool. I know you're gonna make it. I remember those battles you guys used to have in the caf. Still undefeated?"
"Yup. Hasn't changed."
"Impressive," was all Scott could say. He still admired Kris's rapping a lot. "You got a girl?"
"Ye, she's actually why I'm down here. Otherwise I would've just gone down to Victoria. So, ye, I gotta go, but I'll talk to ya later. Look out for me when I make it big!" he said laughing. He gave Scott one of those guy hugs and left.
"Hey sweetie," Scott said, wrapping his arms around Shel's waist from behind.
"Is he gone?" she asked, looking around.
"Yeah, he had to go. Didn't like him, huh?" he asked, a smile playing at his lips.
"No! He was so rude. I couldn't believe it," she said, picking up one of the videos.
"You really haven't been around that type of guy a lot, have you?" Scott said, smiling.
"Who was? And what type of guy?" Sophie asked walking up to them.
"Oh, one of my old friends," Scott explained. Sophie raised her eyebrows, but as they both looked a little uncomfortable, she just shrugged.
"You guys have all the movies we need?" she asked.
"Yeah, think so," Shelby said, checking over her list.
"Next stop, food! Real food, that is!" Scott practically yelled, he was so happy they were getting junk food. He and Shel left to go get the food while Sophie rented out the movies. The man at the counter looked suspiciously at the number of movies she was getting, but didn't say a word.
Scott and Shelby on the other hand ran out to the supermarket and went straight to the chip/ice cream/candy sections.
"This is so much fun!" Shelby squealed, pulling Scott through the store.
"And I thought I was excited," he said to himself.
"What was that?" she asked, turning around with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing," Scott replied with a grin.
"Right, so what do we want?" Shelby asked, with a roll of the eyes. "Chips, we must... Scott?" she asked, turning around to realize he was nowhere to be seen. She walked along the isle, turned the bend, and burst out laughing. "What are you doing?"
"Getting food?" he asked, with his eyebrows raised, a shrug on his shoulder, and candy in his mouth.
"You're gonna have to pay for that, or Sophie'll kill you!" Scott swallowed. "Getting rid of the evidence, are we?" He nodded. Shelby just laughed. She walked up to him, swung her arms around him and pulled him close. "You are so cute," she whispered before she went in for the kill-or rather, kiss.
"Guys, see this is exactly what our conversation was referring to!" Sophie said, walking in on their PDA (public display of affection). They both turned to her with innocent looks on their faces. Shelby turned around, grabbed Scott's hand, and led him back to the chip section.
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"Daisy and I get the sleeping bags!" David yelled out. They were sitting in a circle, as Peter was distributing chores for what they needed to get for the X night.
"No way! Jules and I get that!" Auggie yelled out. Peter threw his hands out.
"Guys, pick a partner each. And I'll pick out your chores," he said.
"I think we're set," Emma pointed out.
"Thank you. Now, David, you and your partner... Daisy, get..." he stuck his hand in a hat he had. He pulled out a piece of paper. He read it and laughed. "Sleeping bags." David and Daisy exchanged high fives. "Auggie, you and your partner..."
"Me," Juliette said.
"You and Jules get... the TVs. You have to go find at least two TVs in the school, and bring 'em out to the lodge." They both nodded. "Leonie, you and?"
"Andrew," she filled in.
"You and Andrew are getting... firewood. We'll need quite a bit. Apparently we're letting you guys stay up all night..." Peter shook his head. "Oh, Sophie..." The students all laughed. "Okay, Jess?"
"Ezra," she said. He winked at her.
"Right, you guys are getting... general cleanup of the lodge. Before. After, it's everyone's job." They all moaned and groaned. "James?"
"Me!" Alexis said.
"Okay, James and Ali, you guys get to make dinner with Marc and his partner."
"That would be me," Kristen said.
"I want something healthy in your systems before the junk food," Peter explained.
"Sounds like you're going the wrong way around," Daisy said. The Horizon food was way worse that the "junk" food they were having... in her opinion.
"And, Emma, you and Alex are getting to help get the movies and food ready with Shelby and Scott," Peter explained.
"Nice!" Alex said quietly so only Emma heard him. She smiled to herself.
"Alright, get to it. Alex, Emma, wait for the two others to arrive," Peter instructed. Daisy grabbed David's arm and tried to lead him out of the lodge. It was just about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and she was in full swing.
"Come on, we have 'chores' to do," she said, doing her air quotes and laughing.
"Wow, I'm coming. Hold your horses," David said. He got up slowly, purposefully putting Daisy off. Seeing her reaction to his slowness, he added: "If we finish early, we're probably getting more chores..."
"Ah! So, there's some reasoning behind this act of silliness?"
"Oh, of course!" he said, taking her hand, and walking along side her to the storage shed to get the sleeping bags. They walked in comfortable silence, but when they got there, David spoke up again. "Dais, you know, there are no adults around..." he said a devilish grin spreading across his face.
"Right, your poi-?" she started but was cut off by a kiss. "Oh," she got out when he pulled away. He turned around to pick up the sleeping bags. "I said 'oh,' not 'we're done,'" she pointed out, pulling him by the front of his shirt towards her. He totally brings out a different side of me, she thought. I like this side...
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"Thanks to the fact that Auggie and Jules found five TVs raiding the school, you guys can pick which movie you guys want to watch at any point in the evening," Peter instructed.
"Okay, on with the movies!" David said rather loudly. Everyone burst out laughing.
"Okay, just go and pick the ones you want. We have them divided in comedies, dramas, action, romance, and classics," Shelby said. Everyone laughed at how many movies there were. David immediately jumped on the action section. The rest of the guys joined him in pawing through them.
"Hey, Scott, why don't we have any horror, man?" Auggie asked.
"Funny story, Peter and Sophie didn't approve. Go figure," he replied. "But action ain't that bad."
"I guess he's right. Okay, how about 'Black Hawk Down'?" Alex asked. (AN: I'm sorry to put this here, but I've never seen that movie, so any comments made on it are strictly from hearsay. Thanks Maynes!)
"Sure. Hold on a sec," Scott said. He walked over to Shelby, whispered something in her ear and laughed at how she screamed, jumped up, and went over to sit with the guys.
"What are you doing?" David asked.
"Two words... well, actually four: Ewan McGregor, and Josh Hartnett," she said with a shrug. All the guys burst out laughing.
"Are you okay with that, man?" Andrew asked Scott with raised eyebrows.
"Ah, it's fine! Scott knows I think he's the hottest of 'em all," Shelby said, grinning at the reaction of the guys.
"Ya know, Shel, we didn't need to know that," David said. Scott just sat down beside Shelby on the sofa, putting his arm around her shoulders. Daisy eventually joined them, sitting beside David. "You here for the same reason?" he asked her.
"Oh ya! But like Shel, I like you much better," she said comfortingly. Both couples were on the couch. The other guys were pretty much assembled within viewing distance of the TV. None of the other girls really wanted to watch that. They were content with their "girly movies" as David called them. Daisy had greatly contributed to the amount of movies available. She had brought back to Horizon her collection. The girls had gone simply gaga over these, which greatly amused Daisy. They were now watching "An Ideal Husband," which was one of Emma's favourites, making her very happy.
"Oh, ya, and guys, please no making out," Ezra asked. Everyone burst out laughing. Everyone, that is, except for Scott and David who were planning on getting some. Shelby and Daisy just looked over at each other with "whatever" looks on their faces.
"Okay, guys, shut up, movie's starting," Marc said. This comment was mainly directed at the girls who'd all started giggling at the witty comments of Lord Goring (watch the movie, you'll understand!).
About halfway through the movies, Daisy, Shelby, and Juliette randomly all met up in the back of the lodge. It was rather funny timing.
"What are you doing here?" Jules asked.
"Oh, the blood... it's just a little excessive," Shelby replied, making a face. Daisy just laughed.
"That's it. War movies aren't particularly my thing... then again Ewan is," Daisy said. They all laughed.
"Well, what are you doing here? Somehow I don't think there's much opportunity for blood spilling with our friend Oscar Wilde," Shelby asked.
"Oh, I wanted to talk to you two," she said. Daisy and Shelby looked at each other. Those three had become really close lately, especially with Shelby's wedding plans.
"What is it?" they asked, their eyebrows furrowed.
"Oh, I'm fine, but it's something Auggie said. Now it's been a long time since he said it, it was back when I'd 'run,' when I nearly cut again. I didn't tell you guys before because well, we were never this close."
"What did he say?" they both asked at the same time. Juliette laughed at their reactions.
"He said that..." she paused for dramatic effect. Shelby and Daisy's eyebrows disappearing in their hairline, they were so expectant. "That we should move in together." They both jumped and screamed.
"Oh my gosh! Jules, that's so cool!" Shelby said.
"Yeah, you guys are so cute," Daisy replied. They both looked at her. "What?"
"Daisy grew a sensitive side," Juliette squealed. They all burst out into laughter. Everyone else in the room started yelling at them to shut up and go somewhere else. They just went into the kitchen.
"So? How'd it happen?" Shelby asked. She was actually becoming very good friends with Jules now that they were both settling down quite a bit. Besides Jules calming down, and not annoying Shelby anymore, Shelby was so much happier since her engagement to Scott. I mean, what girl wouldn't be out-of-her-mind-happy to be engaged to Scott?
"Okay, well, I'd run, and he found me going away from Horizon. I wasn't too far, right. And he stops me and asks me why I ran and all this stuff and then he says 'I promise I'm never going to leave you,'" she squealed.
"Aw, that's so cute," Shelby said. Daisy nodded. "Hey, Dais, what's been happening with you and David?"
"Yeah, what about that?" Jules asked.
"Oh, pretty much the same... except that I have nothing to really keep me here, and neither does he, so we'll probably find some place in Europe," Daisy explained.
"What? You're not staying? But then we won't see you any more!" Shelby yelled out.
"Of course you'll see me. I dunno, it's probably only for travel benefits anyways. I'd doubt living there at all. Oh, before I forget, Shel, what happened when we went into town?" Daisy asked, totally curiosity coming over her.
"Yeah! What was that? David thought you guys were... doing stuff Peter wouldn't approve of," Juliette said.
"Uh, he was..."
"Right?" they both yelled out at the same time. Shelby just nodded. "Okay, girl, time to spill," Daisy said, getting some chips from the lodge and returning at a speedy pace.
"Okay, well, you know when I left the room in the middle of our movie in Agnes?" They both nodded. "Well, I went to call my dad cause I remembered that he was a big lawyer-type. So I called, and he agreed to finance the wedding if he liked Scott," Shelby explained. Juliette and Daisy both gasped. "Anyways, I went to the tux shop to tell Peter and Scott. On my way back, I realized that I was ready. See, I'd put it off, because I was scared it might bring it all back for me, but it hit me that, with Scott, it would never be just sex. It would be love," she said smiling. Juliette had tears in her eyes, and Daisy had a genuine smile on. "Right, so I realized I was ready, so I stopped at the pharmacy on my way back, got some condoms, and hid them when I got back." All the girls laughed. "Well, after I left the bridal shop, I came here with Jess, and Scott and I started kissing, which pushed people to get us to leave. We decided we were hungry, so we asked Annie for a pizza. Then I remembered that, apart from my dad, none of the parents had been notified. So, we asked Annie, and she said we could use the backroom. We told the guys and Jess, that there was pizza waiting, they all left. Scott and I took advantage of being alone."
"Oh my god. You mean to tell me that you two have... done it?" Juliette whispered.
"It's not a swear word, Jules," Daisy said, chuckling. She got up and hugged Shelby. Juliette followed suit.
"We're so happy for you!" Juliette said.
"Oh, and yeah, we did do it," Shelby said with a smirk. Juliette laughed like she did when she was embarrassed. Daisy did the same, except it was a full-hearted laugh, no embarrassment for her.
"What's so funny?" Scott asked, walking in on their discussion-or rather, their laughter.
"Hey cowboy," Shelby said, walking up to him. "Nothing's funny, just some innocent girly gossip."
"Wow, Shel, I didn't know you did that!" David said, entering the kitchen as well.
"Wow, what's going on here? Congregation? I thought the party was out there," Daisy said, pointed out, laughing, but taking David's hand all the same.
"I'll go see what Auggie's doing. Bye guys," Juliette said, leaving the room.
"Come on, Shel, I came to tell you that they're starting 'Casablanca,'" Scott said.
"Well, then, bye guys, see ya later," Shelby said, pulling Scott along. He just waved, laughing.
"Well, Daisy," David said in a low voice. Daisy giggled.
"Well, David," she replied. "Are we going to return here after Europe?" she asked the question that had been burning at her mind for a while.
"If you like, I don't have anywhere to be," he replied, pulling her in closer by her waist.
"How do you get me like this?" she asked in a loving tone.
"Like what? Like all girly and in love?" he asked. She smiled. He just raised an eyebrow. "That's my secret, my dear," he replied. She laughed.
"Right, well, thanks. I enjoy this side of me a lot. It reminds me of how I was, a long time ago," Daisy said. David slowly leaned in and kissed her. It was all very sweet, nothing one would expect of David. He was very gently. He pulled her in, cupped her face with his hands, and looked into her eyes. He then closed his eyes, knowing Daisy was doing the same on the other side of his eyelids. He brought his head down to her level, pushed it forward toward hers. When he felt her soft lips press up against his; sudden warmth ran through his body. He knew Daisy had felt it too, because she pulled away smiling.
"What is it?" he asked against his will.
"You just make me feel so unbelievably safe and loved," she replied, looking deep into his eyes.
"That's cause you are loved, Dais."
"It's so easy to forget that, though," she said, moisture appearing in her eyes. "Wow, I'm not dead inside." A smirk appeared on her face. David just laughed. As the moisture formed a tear that rolled down her cheek, he caught it with his thumb. His hand had still been lodged around her cheek, his fingers in her hair.
"Don't forget it. It'll never happened, not while I'm around," he said. "Maybe I'm actually human too!" they both burst out laughing at the actual amazement in his voice.
"It's so funny, all those silly love songs that always annoyed me... they make sense now," she said.
"I know, it's unbelievable, but hey! It's to be expected."
"How so?" she asked, putting on the act of a total philosophical conversation.
"For the simple reason that I-" he kissed her, "love," another kiss, "you," and a final kiss.
"Oh ya?" she asked playfully.
"Ya!" he said, mimicking her. She took his head in her hands and gave him an earth-stopping kiss. "Okay, you win," he said breathlessly.
"Thank you, I believe I deserve it! Now, let's go see what's cracking them up so much," she said, hearing the laughter rise from the other room. She took his hand, and he intertwined his fingers with hers. They both smiled at this gesture. Funny, how the little things mean so much, when one is so in love.
Author's Note: Alrighty, compared to that insanely long chapter, I'm going to write a much shorter one here. It'll still be filled with loads of fluffy goodness (including much S&S and a lot of D&D). Enjoy!
"Peter, they have to get some sort of reward," Sophie was saying. They were sitting in Peter's office on Monday afternoon. Classes had just ended, and they were both relaxing. Sophie was sitting across from Peter. She was slouching down into her chair with her legs stretched out in front of her. Peter was sitting back in his chair with his feet up on his desk. "Look how well they did on their solos. They didn't try and visit each other," she said pointedly. They both chuckled in memory of Scott's visit to Shelby's solo site, which resulted in her escape. "They filled out their answers, and wrote in their journals."
"Fine, fine! I agree, okay? You've won! Stop pushing!" he said, throwing his hands up in defeat. Sophie just laughed. "So, what did you have in mind?"
"How about girls/guys night in?" she asked, a sly smile passing over her face.
"A what?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"Peter! You mean to tell me you've never had a guys night in?" He just laughed. "You know, movies, goodies, gossip, no sleep. Fun!" she said. She was obviously very excited about this.
"Are you serious?" he asked, a smile he was trying to hide forming on his lips. She nodded. "Fine, but you organize it! I'm in over my head with this stuff," he explained, waving his arms over his desk.
"I will. Just let me handle everything," she said, grinning and getting up.
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"But, Sophie, we just had group today!" David complained as Sophie told them to be in the lodge in ten minutes.
"I know, but there are new... uh... developments. Pass the message onto the others who aren't here," she replied in an aggravated tone.
"Alright, David, go get the guys from the dorm, I'll get the girls, and Jess could you go get your sis and Scott?" Daisy said. They all nodded and left. Ten minutes later, a large group of complaining teens was assembled in the lodge.
"This better be important, I have real pressing things to get to," Shelby complained. Over the last week, the fact that her wedding was approaching had really hit her hard and she was starting to stress about preparations. Scott was doing his best to keep her calm, but he was only one person! What he did was mainly just go about his business, let Shel deal with anything she needed to and if she wanted him, he'd always be around to be of help. Sophie and Peter had also lent their services, not to mention Jules, Daisy, and Jess who were like full time staff.
"It's okay, Shel, don't worry, everything'll be fine," Scott said soothingly. She just laid her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand.
"Alright, everyone here?" Sophie asked.
"Uh, no, we're missing Emma and Alex," Juliette pointed out.
"Not anymore," Emma said, sitting down, Alex taking a seat beside her. Emma's hair was pulled into a newly formed ponytail to hide the fact that it was very disheveled. They both were in a very good mood. Most of the group started giggling. Sophie chose to ignore this.
"Good. I've been talking to Peter and we've come to a decision. We were both very impressed with how well you guys did on your solo."
"Yeah, unlike some people who found it impossible to stay away from each other," Shelby said, winking at Scott, who blushed slightly. All the Cliffhangers exploded with laughter. Sophie gave her a little look that basically said "watch it." Shelby just smirked in response.
"Okay, so what's going on?" Auggie asked getting a little impatient. Everyone started agreeing with him. Sophie put her hands up to silence them.
"Since Peter and I are impressed with how well you did on your solos, and how well you were behaving during our absence," she said giving meaningful looks to the Rivergliders and then Cliffhangers respectively. Everyone smiled expectantly. "Peter has allowed me to throw you guys a sort of..."
"Party!" they all screamed at the same time. They were all jumping around. Sophie laughed. She let them have their fun. When they finally sat down and went quiet, she continued.
"Sort of. You guys get a sort of girls/guys night in. You know: movies, sweets, talking, staying up until whenever..." They all jumped up again, yelling and screaming, excitement all over the place. Sophie just left them to handle it with a final: "If you guys have suggestions for the movies, leave them on Peter's desk. Also, try not and tell too many people!" She turned and went to see how Peter was doing with all his paperwork.
Shelby and Scott had also left, but not to go see Peter. They went to their room.
"Shel, before you start going nuts on that stuff-" Scott began to protest. He'd hardly seen her lately. She turned around and gave him an earth-stopping kiss. When she pulled away, they were both smiling. "Wow," he whispered.
"What?" she whispered back, smiling cutely.
"Nothing," he assured. He looked into her eyes. They both smiled. Their bodies molded together. Scott cupped her face with his hands while Shelby put her hands around his neck. She slowly started running her hands through his messy blond curly hair as they kissed. Scott gently led her over to the bed, never breaking of the kiss. She lay down, Scott positioning himself ever so gently on top of her. As an idea crossed her mind she spoke up.
"Scott, we can't."
"Why not?" he asked, confused.
"No condom," she replied disappointedly. Scott reached into his back pocket. "Got one?" she asked. Relief then came on his face.
"Town... tux shopping," he said with a shrug. She giggled at that thought. He just leaned in and continued to kiss her.
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Finally, Friday night came. The week went by very slowly for the Cliffhangers and Rivergliders who were impatiently waiting for their X night, as they'd come to call it, so others wouldn't find out and get jealous.
They hardly paid attention in class all morning, so Sophie and Peter just dismissed them for the afternoon, figuring it was a waste to keep them in class since they weren't learning anything. They all loved this. Sophie, who had gotten about a million film suggestions, brought Shelby and Scott to the video rental store. Everyone else was way too excited to be jealous about them being able to go to town... well, Agnes.
"So, Soph, why'd you choose us?" Scott asked, sitting in the back seat, his arm around Shelby's shoulders.
"Because, I need to talk to you. And because most of the suggestions came from you two." She laughed.
"Wait a sec," Shelby said, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean by you have to talk to us?"
"Well, you see... uh, your walls aren't sound proof," she hinted. "And the Cliffie and Gliders' (as she'd come to call them) dorm are right beside..." Scott and Shelby looked at each other with raised eyebrows and then exploded laughing. "They're happy you're not doing that in their dorm, but they can still hear... uh... a lot." Sophie was obviously a little uncomfortable telling them this.
"Oh my gosh! Uh, we'll try to keep it down," Shelby said, still laughing. Scott was unable to speak as he was doubled up laughing, his sides were starting to hurt and he was gasping for air. The fact that he was laughing so hard was making Shelby laugh. They finally calmed down. "Well, I must say I wasn't exactly expecting... that!"
"Neither was I. Man, that was classic!" Scott said, sighing and putting his arm back around Shelby's shoulders.
"I must say, I wasn't expecting that reaction. Okay, guys, look. I know you're getting engaged and I know what goes one in that room of yours, but please, try and keep it to a minimum, or at least quiet. I'm discreet about this, but Peter might not see it the same way. If it gets out of hand, we may have to take that room away from you," Sophie warned. Her voice was very warm and gentle, but it was firm. The couple looked horrified.
"We'll be good," they said quickly and at the same time. They then gave each other a high five for their timing.
"Okay, here we are," Sophie said, pulling up in front of the Agnes Video Store. Shelby and Scott looked on in awe. This was their first time doing something normal in just about two years. Scott jumped out of the car and ran into the store.
"Like a kid in a candy store," Shelby said lovingly, shaking her head, as she and Sophie walked in. Sophie just chuckled softly to herself at the thought of a little Scott in a candy store. "Ya, I know how you feel," Shelby continued, seeing the look on Sophie's face. "Where is he?" she asked as they looked around the store for a tall blond. When she found him she went over with a list Sophie had given her.
"So, how's it going?" he asked. Shelby was about to answer when she noticed he was talking to someone. She went up to him and took his hand. He looked at her. "Oh, Kris, this is Shelby," he introduces. "We're engaged," he told Kris proudly.
"Ha, ha! Barringer got engaged!" Kris answered. He was about the same height as Scott, but very different. He was a very tough looking black guy. He had a face that made him look as if he were very rough. He also had somewhat of an urban glare in his eyes. This scared Shelby a little, but she didn't let it show.
"Nice to meet you," she said, really coldly, narrowing her eyes.
"Ye, you too," he said. He looked her over.
"Kris!" Scott said playfully, though he wanted him to stop looking at Shel like that. He punched him in the arm.
"Hey, you know I win everytime, hommie!" he said, punching him back playfully, but harder.
"Scott," Shelby cut in, putting her hand on Scott's chest lightly. Kris made the sound of a whip cracking.
"Man, she got ya whipped!"
"Hey!" Shelby came right in his face. "Watch it!" she said menacingly.
"Shel, it's okay. It's just Kris. That's his style," Scott soothed. Shelby's face softened when she heard Scott's voice, but her eyes kept their icy hardness.
"Whatever, just don't camp in my face," she said, giving him the death glare. Then she turned to Scott and her face immediately softened. "Sophie wanted us to find these movies." She left to find Sophie after giving a slip of paper to Scott.
"Well, I gotta say, you picked a good one," Kris said, checking her out as she walked off.
"Man! We're getting married! Don't check her out!" Scott said a little more firmly this time. "So, how about you, what's new?"
"Well, I'm still a damn good freestyler." Scott laughed.
"Ya never really did change, did ya?" he asked, smiling.
"Nah. I'm going for a record deal soon. I actually have a meeting in Victoria," he said.
"Man! That's so cool. I know you're gonna make it. I remember those battles you guys used to have in the caf. Still undefeated?"
"Yup. Hasn't changed."
"Impressive," was all Scott could say. He still admired Kris's rapping a lot. "You got a girl?"
"Ye, she's actually why I'm down here. Otherwise I would've just gone down to Victoria. So, ye, I gotta go, but I'll talk to ya later. Look out for me when I make it big!" he said laughing. He gave Scott one of those guy hugs and left.
"Hey sweetie," Scott said, wrapping his arms around Shel's waist from behind.
"Is he gone?" she asked, looking around.
"Yeah, he had to go. Didn't like him, huh?" he asked, a smile playing at his lips.
"No! He was so rude. I couldn't believe it," she said, picking up one of the videos.
"You really haven't been around that type of guy a lot, have you?" Scott said, smiling.
"Who was? And what type of guy?" Sophie asked walking up to them.
"Oh, one of my old friends," Scott explained. Sophie raised her eyebrows, but as they both looked a little uncomfortable, she just shrugged.
"You guys have all the movies we need?" she asked.
"Yeah, think so," Shelby said, checking over her list.
"Next stop, food! Real food, that is!" Scott practically yelled, he was so happy they were getting junk food. He and Shel left to go get the food while Sophie rented out the movies. The man at the counter looked suspiciously at the number of movies she was getting, but didn't say a word.
Scott and Shelby on the other hand ran out to the supermarket and went straight to the chip/ice cream/candy sections.
"This is so much fun!" Shelby squealed, pulling Scott through the store.
"And I thought I was excited," he said to himself.
"What was that?" she asked, turning around with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing," Scott replied with a grin.
"Right, so what do we want?" Shelby asked, with a roll of the eyes. "Chips, we must... Scott?" she asked, turning around to realize he was nowhere to be seen. She walked along the isle, turned the bend, and burst out laughing. "What are you doing?"
"Getting food?" he asked, with his eyebrows raised, a shrug on his shoulder, and candy in his mouth.
"You're gonna have to pay for that, or Sophie'll kill you!" Scott swallowed. "Getting rid of the evidence, are we?" He nodded. Shelby just laughed. She walked up to him, swung her arms around him and pulled him close. "You are so cute," she whispered before she went in for the kill-or rather, kiss.
"Guys, see this is exactly what our conversation was referring to!" Sophie said, walking in on their PDA (public display of affection). They both turned to her with innocent looks on their faces. Shelby turned around, grabbed Scott's hand, and led him back to the chip section.
**************************************************************************************
"Daisy and I get the sleeping bags!" David yelled out. They were sitting in a circle, as Peter was distributing chores for what they needed to get for the X night.
"No way! Jules and I get that!" Auggie yelled out. Peter threw his hands out.
"Guys, pick a partner each. And I'll pick out your chores," he said.
"I think we're set," Emma pointed out.
"Thank you. Now, David, you and your partner... Daisy, get..." he stuck his hand in a hat he had. He pulled out a piece of paper. He read it and laughed. "Sleeping bags." David and Daisy exchanged high fives. "Auggie, you and your partner..."
"Me," Juliette said.
"You and Jules get... the TVs. You have to go find at least two TVs in the school, and bring 'em out to the lodge." They both nodded. "Leonie, you and?"
"Andrew," she filled in.
"You and Andrew are getting... firewood. We'll need quite a bit. Apparently we're letting you guys stay up all night..." Peter shook his head. "Oh, Sophie..." The students all laughed. "Okay, Jess?"
"Ezra," she said. He winked at her.
"Right, you guys are getting... general cleanup of the lodge. Before. After, it's everyone's job." They all moaned and groaned. "James?"
"Me!" Alexis said.
"Okay, James and Ali, you guys get to make dinner with Marc and his partner."
"That would be me," Kristen said.
"I want something healthy in your systems before the junk food," Peter explained.
"Sounds like you're going the wrong way around," Daisy said. The Horizon food was way worse that the "junk" food they were having... in her opinion.
"And, Emma, you and Alex are getting to help get the movies and food ready with Shelby and Scott," Peter explained.
"Nice!" Alex said quietly so only Emma heard him. She smiled to herself.
"Alright, get to it. Alex, Emma, wait for the two others to arrive," Peter instructed. Daisy grabbed David's arm and tried to lead him out of the lodge. It was just about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and she was in full swing.
"Come on, we have 'chores' to do," she said, doing her air quotes and laughing.
"Wow, I'm coming. Hold your horses," David said. He got up slowly, purposefully putting Daisy off. Seeing her reaction to his slowness, he added: "If we finish early, we're probably getting more chores..."
"Ah! So, there's some reasoning behind this act of silliness?"
"Oh, of course!" he said, taking her hand, and walking along side her to the storage shed to get the sleeping bags. They walked in comfortable silence, but when they got there, David spoke up again. "Dais, you know, there are no adults around..." he said a devilish grin spreading across his face.
"Right, your poi-?" she started but was cut off by a kiss. "Oh," she got out when he pulled away. He turned around to pick up the sleeping bags. "I said 'oh,' not 'we're done,'" she pointed out, pulling him by the front of his shirt towards her. He totally brings out a different side of me, she thought. I like this side...
**************************************************************************************
"Thanks to the fact that Auggie and Jules found five TVs raiding the school, you guys can pick which movie you guys want to watch at any point in the evening," Peter instructed.
"Okay, on with the movies!" David said rather loudly. Everyone burst out laughing.
"Okay, just go and pick the ones you want. We have them divided in comedies, dramas, action, romance, and classics," Shelby said. Everyone laughed at how many movies there were. David immediately jumped on the action section. The rest of the guys joined him in pawing through them.
"Hey, Scott, why don't we have any horror, man?" Auggie asked.
"Funny story, Peter and Sophie didn't approve. Go figure," he replied. "But action ain't that bad."
"I guess he's right. Okay, how about 'Black Hawk Down'?" Alex asked. (AN: I'm sorry to put this here, but I've never seen that movie, so any comments made on it are strictly from hearsay. Thanks Maynes!)
"Sure. Hold on a sec," Scott said. He walked over to Shelby, whispered something in her ear and laughed at how she screamed, jumped up, and went over to sit with the guys.
"What are you doing?" David asked.
"Two words... well, actually four: Ewan McGregor, and Josh Hartnett," she said with a shrug. All the guys burst out laughing.
"Are you okay with that, man?" Andrew asked Scott with raised eyebrows.
"Ah, it's fine! Scott knows I think he's the hottest of 'em all," Shelby said, grinning at the reaction of the guys.
"Ya know, Shel, we didn't need to know that," David said. Scott just sat down beside Shelby on the sofa, putting his arm around her shoulders. Daisy eventually joined them, sitting beside David. "You here for the same reason?" he asked her.
"Oh ya! But like Shel, I like you much better," she said comfortingly. Both couples were on the couch. The other guys were pretty much assembled within viewing distance of the TV. None of the other girls really wanted to watch that. They were content with their "girly movies" as David called them. Daisy had greatly contributed to the amount of movies available. She had brought back to Horizon her collection. The girls had gone simply gaga over these, which greatly amused Daisy. They were now watching "An Ideal Husband," which was one of Emma's favourites, making her very happy.
"Oh, ya, and guys, please no making out," Ezra asked. Everyone burst out laughing. Everyone, that is, except for Scott and David who were planning on getting some. Shelby and Daisy just looked over at each other with "whatever" looks on their faces.
"Okay, guys, shut up, movie's starting," Marc said. This comment was mainly directed at the girls who'd all started giggling at the witty comments of Lord Goring (watch the movie, you'll understand!).
About halfway through the movies, Daisy, Shelby, and Juliette randomly all met up in the back of the lodge. It was rather funny timing.
"What are you doing here?" Jules asked.
"Oh, the blood... it's just a little excessive," Shelby replied, making a face. Daisy just laughed.
"That's it. War movies aren't particularly my thing... then again Ewan is," Daisy said. They all laughed.
"Well, what are you doing here? Somehow I don't think there's much opportunity for blood spilling with our friend Oscar Wilde," Shelby asked.
"Oh, I wanted to talk to you two," she said. Daisy and Shelby looked at each other. Those three had become really close lately, especially with Shelby's wedding plans.
"What is it?" they asked, their eyebrows furrowed.
"Oh, I'm fine, but it's something Auggie said. Now it's been a long time since he said it, it was back when I'd 'run,' when I nearly cut again. I didn't tell you guys before because well, we were never this close."
"What did he say?" they both asked at the same time. Juliette laughed at their reactions.
"He said that..." she paused for dramatic effect. Shelby and Daisy's eyebrows disappearing in their hairline, they were so expectant. "That we should move in together." They both jumped and screamed.
"Oh my gosh! Jules, that's so cool!" Shelby said.
"Yeah, you guys are so cute," Daisy replied. They both looked at her. "What?"
"Daisy grew a sensitive side," Juliette squealed. They all burst out into laughter. Everyone else in the room started yelling at them to shut up and go somewhere else. They just went into the kitchen.
"So? How'd it happen?" Shelby asked. She was actually becoming very good friends with Jules now that they were both settling down quite a bit. Besides Jules calming down, and not annoying Shelby anymore, Shelby was so much happier since her engagement to Scott. I mean, what girl wouldn't be out-of-her-mind-happy to be engaged to Scott?
"Okay, well, I'd run, and he found me going away from Horizon. I wasn't too far, right. And he stops me and asks me why I ran and all this stuff and then he says 'I promise I'm never going to leave you,'" she squealed.
"Aw, that's so cute," Shelby said. Daisy nodded. "Hey, Dais, what's been happening with you and David?"
"Yeah, what about that?" Jules asked.
"Oh, pretty much the same... except that I have nothing to really keep me here, and neither does he, so we'll probably find some place in Europe," Daisy explained.
"What? You're not staying? But then we won't see you any more!" Shelby yelled out.
"Of course you'll see me. I dunno, it's probably only for travel benefits anyways. I'd doubt living there at all. Oh, before I forget, Shel, what happened when we went into town?" Daisy asked, totally curiosity coming over her.
"Yeah! What was that? David thought you guys were... doing stuff Peter wouldn't approve of," Juliette said.
"Uh, he was..."
"Right?" they both yelled out at the same time. Shelby just nodded. "Okay, girl, time to spill," Daisy said, getting some chips from the lodge and returning at a speedy pace.
"Okay, well, you know when I left the room in the middle of our movie in Agnes?" They both nodded. "Well, I went to call my dad cause I remembered that he was a big lawyer-type. So I called, and he agreed to finance the wedding if he liked Scott," Shelby explained. Juliette and Daisy both gasped. "Anyways, I went to the tux shop to tell Peter and Scott. On my way back, I realized that I was ready. See, I'd put it off, because I was scared it might bring it all back for me, but it hit me that, with Scott, it would never be just sex. It would be love," she said smiling. Juliette had tears in her eyes, and Daisy had a genuine smile on. "Right, so I realized I was ready, so I stopped at the pharmacy on my way back, got some condoms, and hid them when I got back." All the girls laughed. "Well, after I left the bridal shop, I came here with Jess, and Scott and I started kissing, which pushed people to get us to leave. We decided we were hungry, so we asked Annie for a pizza. Then I remembered that, apart from my dad, none of the parents had been notified. So, we asked Annie, and she said we could use the backroom. We told the guys and Jess, that there was pizza waiting, they all left. Scott and I took advantage of being alone."
"Oh my god. You mean to tell me that you two have... done it?" Juliette whispered.
"It's not a swear word, Jules," Daisy said, chuckling. She got up and hugged Shelby. Juliette followed suit.
"We're so happy for you!" Juliette said.
"Oh, and yeah, we did do it," Shelby said with a smirk. Juliette laughed like she did when she was embarrassed. Daisy did the same, except it was a full-hearted laugh, no embarrassment for her.
"What's so funny?" Scott asked, walking in on their discussion-or rather, their laughter.
"Hey cowboy," Shelby said, walking up to him. "Nothing's funny, just some innocent girly gossip."
"Wow, Shel, I didn't know you did that!" David said, entering the kitchen as well.
"Wow, what's going on here? Congregation? I thought the party was out there," Daisy said, pointed out, laughing, but taking David's hand all the same.
"I'll go see what Auggie's doing. Bye guys," Juliette said, leaving the room.
"Come on, Shel, I came to tell you that they're starting 'Casablanca,'" Scott said.
"Well, then, bye guys, see ya later," Shelby said, pulling Scott along. He just waved, laughing.
"Well, Daisy," David said in a low voice. Daisy giggled.
"Well, David," she replied. "Are we going to return here after Europe?" she asked the question that had been burning at her mind for a while.
"If you like, I don't have anywhere to be," he replied, pulling her in closer by her waist.
"How do you get me like this?" she asked in a loving tone.
"Like what? Like all girly and in love?" he asked. She smiled. He just raised an eyebrow. "That's my secret, my dear," he replied. She laughed.
"Right, well, thanks. I enjoy this side of me a lot. It reminds me of how I was, a long time ago," Daisy said. David slowly leaned in and kissed her. It was all very sweet, nothing one would expect of David. He was very gently. He pulled her in, cupped her face with his hands, and looked into her eyes. He then closed his eyes, knowing Daisy was doing the same on the other side of his eyelids. He brought his head down to her level, pushed it forward toward hers. When he felt her soft lips press up against his; sudden warmth ran through his body. He knew Daisy had felt it too, because she pulled away smiling.
"What is it?" he asked against his will.
"You just make me feel so unbelievably safe and loved," she replied, looking deep into his eyes.
"That's cause you are loved, Dais."
"It's so easy to forget that, though," she said, moisture appearing in her eyes. "Wow, I'm not dead inside." A smirk appeared on her face. David just laughed. As the moisture formed a tear that rolled down her cheek, he caught it with his thumb. His hand had still been lodged around her cheek, his fingers in her hair.
"Don't forget it. It'll never happened, not while I'm around," he said. "Maybe I'm actually human too!" they both burst out laughing at the actual amazement in his voice.
"It's so funny, all those silly love songs that always annoyed me... they make sense now," she said.
"I know, it's unbelievable, but hey! It's to be expected."
"How so?" she asked, putting on the act of a total philosophical conversation.
"For the simple reason that I-" he kissed her, "love," another kiss, "you," and a final kiss.
"Oh ya?" she asked playfully.
"Ya!" he said, mimicking her. She took his head in her hands and gave him an earth-stopping kiss. "Okay, you win," he said breathlessly.
"Thank you, I believe I deserve it! Now, let's go see what's cracking them up so much," she said, hearing the laughter rise from the other room. She took his hand, and he intertwined his fingers with hers. They both smiled at this gesture. Funny, how the little things mean so much, when one is so in love.