Correctional Tidbit: So, my lovely switchbat informed that I switched back and forth between Sylas and Syler multiple times last chapter. His name was originally Syler and I changed it to Sylas. We have decided to go with that name from here on out. Sorry about the mix-up!
Mini-Disclaimer: I do not own Jinea; she belongs to Dunamess who has created her for my own personal use. Thanks Lady!
Chapter 1
One Year Later…
"Congratulations! I present to you, the class of 2006!" Provost Higgins announced to the audience of parents and family sitting in front of the out door stage. Hats flew into the air as the three rows of students rose up in the air and embraced each other before walking off the stage to the ceremonial music.
As the large group of graduates begin to disband, Sarah scanned the mass of dark blue robes until she spotted Caleb. He, Pogue, Kate, Reid and Tyler had already found each other and were embracing their parents as they approached. She was about to make her way over to them when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Dad!" Sarah spun around as her father pulled her into a bear hug. As soon as she pulled away she embraced her mother as well. "Mom, I'm so glad you're here."
"Do you think we'd actually miss out only daughter's graduation?" Lydia Wenham gave Sarah's shoulders a shake. Sarah shook her head smiling, looking back and forth between the two. "So then, who are your friends? The view from where we were sitting wasn't that great so we really couldn't tell what they looked like when their names were called."
"Come on," Sarah led her parents over to where the boys and Kate were standing. Their parents appeared to already have left. They all turned to face their friend as she approached them. "Guys, Caleb, I'd like you to meet my parents, Lydia and Garrett. Mom, Dad, this is Tyler and Reid. My roommate, Kate, her boyfriend, Pogue, and my boyfriend Caleb."
"It's so nice to meet you all," Garrett looked pointedly at Caleb. "Sarah talks about you non-stop."
"Only good things," Lydia reassured them as worried looks passed over the faces of all who stood there, including Sarah. She also gave her husband's hand a quick squeeze. "So, what are your plans now?"
"Well, Pogue and I are planning on attending Cornell together," Kate said Smiled up at her boyfriend. Pogue returned the gesture with a kiss on the forehead.
"I'll be going to Yale," Tyler said proudly. He didn't notice Reid rolling his eyes, he spoke next.
"Boston University for me."
"And you Caleb?" Garrett asked.
"Harvard, like Sarah," Caleb replied, glancing over at his girlfriend before looking back at her father. Garrett stood just a couple inches shorter then he and had blond hair that was going white near his trimmed side burns.
"Yup," Sarah nodded, noticing the tension between her father and her boyfriend. "Caleb is one of the top students here. Number six in the class, right sweetie?"
"Three, actually," Reid answered for him.
"Wow, that's impressive," Lydia remarked.
"Well, we should probably get going. Will we be seeing you all at Sarah's graduation party? It's set for three weeks from Saturday," Garrett said.
"Actually, we were hoping we could keep Sarah here for a few weeks. You know, so she wouldn't have to drive back and forth or miss out completely on all of our parties," Kate said grinning at her roommate. She spoke again noticing the concerned looks Garrett and Lydia's faces. "She would, of course, be staying with my parents and I. They've rented out a condo so I can celebrate here. Then we'd," she motioned to herself and the boys. "Drive Sarah back to Boston and get a hotel or something so we can stick around for her's."
"Sounds like a plan doesn't it mom?" Sarah looked at her parents hopefully. "Dad? I can pack up all my stuff to send back with you minus the clothes and necessities I need to stay with Kate. Can I? Please?"
Everyone stood patiently, waiting for an answer while Lydia and Garrett seemed to be having a visual debate. Garrett clenched his eyes shut quickly before putting on a strained smile when his wife finally spoke. "That'll be fine. Just keep in touch with us about what the plans are."
"Oh, thank you so much!" Sarah hugged both of them again, her father last. "Thank you."
After that reunion they all separated. Sarah, Kate, Garrett and Lydia returned to the dorms to pack up and help load Sarah's parent's car with her things before they returned to Boston. The next two weeks were a blur of parties and time at Nicky's. Neither Kate nor Sarah slept at the condo much. Kate was staying at Pogue's most nights and Sarah at Caleb's.
It was three weeks of both new and familiar experiences. Familiar meaning dancing and hanging out at Nicky's which included Reid getting into it with Aaron who hadn't left town yet and Kira trying one last time to get Caleb into bed and ending with Kira getting a bloody nose from Sarah, who had become quite territorial for those seven minutes, punching the red head in the face. The new experiences were Sarah getting drunk for the first time at Reid's party and puking in the bathtub.
On the Friday of the third week the six of them packed up and headed into Boston together. Pogue on his recently repaired Ducati, Reid and Tyler in the Hummer and Sarah and Kate riding with Caleb in his Mustang. Upon arrival, after dropping Sarah off at home, the five of them booked rooms at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Reid, Tyler and Caleb each got a one bedroom suite while Kate and Pogue got a deluxe room together.
They were all spending time in the sitting room that came with Pogue and Kate's room when Sarah met them at the hotel that evening, and she wasn't alone. When she knocked on the door Caleb opened it to see she had two other girls with her. On her left was a girl the same height with blond hair that was tipped blue. Standing a foot behind them was a taller African-American girl with a skeptical look on her face. Sarah pulled him down to give him a kiss before entering the room, the two girls following her.
"Hey guys," Sarah smiled. "So, we have plans tonight."
"Oh great, I was worried I'd have to watch re-runs of 'Gray's Anatomy' all night," Reid said sarcastically from his slumped position on the couch. He was hit in the side of the head almost instantly by Kate who looked offended. Though she didn't see he stuck his tongue out at the dark haired girl.
"Um, ignoring that comment," Sarah looked back at everyone else. "Yeah, my friends' band is playing in a sort of 'battle of the bands' type thing at a club downtown tonight and we're going to go see them."
"Speaking of friends," Caleb said sitting in the armchair across from the couch where Sarah and the two girls were.
"Oh yeah," Sarah exclaimed. "This is Carisa," she motioned to the girl with blue in her hair. "And this is Jinea."
"Nice to meet you all," Carisa said brightly. "Sarah, well, Max, since that's the only Sarah seems capable of responding to," Carisa looked pointedly at a blushing Sarah, shaking her arm playfully. "Told us all about you guys. Now let me guess, you must be Kate," she looked over at the girl sitting next to the long haired guy.
"Kate the mate," Jinea said. "Hehe, I made a funny. Get it, because she was Sarah's roommate?"
"Oh, yes," Tyler said suddenly. "Haha, good one," he chuckled, smiled at the dark eyed girl. He looked away again when no one else laughed but not before giving Jinea a sheepish smile.
"Anyway, continuing, you must be Pogue," Carisa looked at the long haired boy sitting next to Kate.
"Yes indeed," Pogue smiled, squeezing Kate's hand.
"And you are," Carisa paused, looking behind the love seat occupied by the couple. "Reid?"
"Nope, that would be me," Reid got up from the couch to their right and squeezing himself in between Jinea and Carisa. "He's the baby."
"Are you sure about that?" Carisa retorted. "Sorry 'bout that Tyler."
"No biggie," Tyler lifted his hand.
"Coolio," Carisa smiled at him, shrugging Reid's arm off her shoulder's for the sixth time already. "And I know you're Caleb."
"Yup," Caleb nodded, reaching for Sarah's hand and pulling her off the couch and onto his lap. "I'm 'the boyfriend'."
"Well, that's a good thing," Jinea said. "Otherwise, that greeting kiss would have been mighty confusing. So, are we ready to go? It's already eight thirty and they go on at nine with only one song you know. We don't want to miss it."
"Oh yeah," Sarah got up, pulling Caleb, who still had his arms latched around her waist, with her. They all got up and made their way over the door grabbing car keys and wallets off the table tossing them to respective owners. Reid decided to be polite for once and let the ladies go first. His eyes lingered on Carisa's form as she walked in front of him; she had a tattoo on her lower back. He also took note that Tyler seemed to have attached himself to Jinea's hip immediately.
By the time they arrived at the club it was three till nine and they barely got in in time to see the band tart playing. The song was fast paced with a mixture of sounds to it. People in the crowd were jumping up and down and swaying to the beat while the lead singer crooned the lyrics into the micro phone. He had curly brown hair and played the guitar as well. On his left was a rather tanned fellow with spiked black hair at the keyboards who was singing back up and to the brown haired kid's right was another guy with shaggy red hair playing bass. And in the back at drums appeared to be either a female or a guy with really long, curled bluish-purple dyed hair, dark roots. As they finished the crowd went wild, one girl even doing the traditional thing to do and threw her panties at the lead singer.
"Thank you Boston!" The brown haired guitarist said, putting the thong in his pocket. "I'm gonna keep these. You've been listening to the sounds of 'Immodest' with Sylas Jaxton on keyboards on back up, Lucas King on bass, Max Quintana on drums and I'm Marty Dawson! Please see the merchandise table for 'Immodest' merchandise. Thank you!"
As the band all came together for one last bow Reid's eyebrow raised as the Max girl made her way off the stage. He'd been trying to flirt with Carisa all night but to no avail. Though she still had his interest he was growing restless with her lack of response and this girl with indigo hair was certainly worth his time. He felt a tug on his arm as the rest of the group seemed to be making their way over to the side where the stage door was.
The four band members and another new guy were already coming out the door and as they created a circle Max and Sarah collided in a tight embrace. When the hug didn't end after a few minutes everyone started to get different expressions on their faces. Caleb raised his eyebrows, Pogue and Kate looked at one another as if to say 'what the hell?' and Tyler grinned. Reid raised his eyebrows as well, but not for the same reasoning as Caleb, he was sure. Across from them the Boston group was watching the foreigners watch their friends embrace with looks of amusement splashed across their faces.
When Sarah and Max finally pulled away, the rest of the band and this other guy proceeded to embrace the blond. After making small talk Sarah introduced Kate, Pogue, Tyler, Reid and Caleb before turning and re-introducing the band and new guy.
"This is Sylas," she motioned to the spiky haired male. Now that they were closer they could see he was tall, maybe even an inch taller then Caleb.
"Marty," he introduced himself pushing a few stray corkscrews out of his brown eyes. They almost seemed black in that light though.
"Lucas," he followed the guitarist's suit. He too was tall, about the same height as Caleb, and equal to Reid.
"Hi, I'm Max," she said in a slightly accented voice, a white toothy smile spread over her face. They all had to look down at her as her five-foot four-inch frame was much smaller then her band mates. She was the same height as Sarah and Carisa. Reid gave her a seductive smile. "And this is Jack," she motioned to the small new guy standing next to her. Of course, small here means small compared to the rest of guys standing there as he appeared to only be five-foot nine-inches tall. He held a Nintendo-DS in his hands and only nodded to them. "He doesn't talk much."
"Well then he and Tyler should get along famously," Reid said, slapping Tyler roughly on the back.
"I talk," Tyler exclaimed, offended. "I just tend to text more," as if on cue he reached for his phone, flipped it open, chuckled at whatever was on the tiny screen and started to reply.
"As I said, get along famously," Reid smiled.
"I heard there was a dance club here as well, is that right?" Kate spoke up.
"Yeah, it's upstairs," Lucas looked her over only to receive a glare from Pogue who wrapped his arms around her waist protectively.
"You want to go?" Max asked, elbowing Lucas in the ribs.
"That sounds great," Kate said turning to follow Jinea who motioned for her to do so. The rest seemed to break off into two and threes as they followed up the stairs into a very different atmosphere. Carisa walked with Jack and Tyler, looking back at Reid every so often. Marty, Lucas and after giving Max a questioning look, Sylas all fell into step. Sarah and Caleb grasped hands and flowed leaving Max and Reid to bring up the rear.
"So, drums huh?" Reid looked down at her. "I though chicks in a male dominated band usually did vocals."
"I could do vocals but drums are my passion," Max said. "I write lyrics with Sylas though since we both play keyboards. I'm all sorts of multi-talented."
"I can tell," Reid raised his voice as the entered the dance room, techno blaring. "I'd like –,"
"Come on, let's dance," Carisa suddenly appeared out of no where and pulled him out to the dance floor. He looked up from grinding with smaller girl to see if Max was watching. She was, with one eyebrow raised. Scanning the dance floor before looking back down at the blue haired girl he noticed Caleb and Sarah, Pogue and Kate and Jinea and Tyler all on the floor as well. Looking back down at Carisa two thoughts crossed his mind. 'God, she looks good doing what she's doing,' and 'I wish it was Max doing this, or hell, both of them at once.' A wicked grin spread across his face as the last thought entered his mind.
"Hold on," he yelled over the music. "I'll be right back," he kept his eyes on her till her got across the floor and pulled Max onto it with them. As the two grinded against him, together he couldn't help but get the dirtiest of dirty thoughts. He noticed that Max seemed to be dancing more so with Carisa or the various girls around them rather than him but pushed the thought away.
It was almost three in the morning when they finally made their way out of the club. Pogue and Kate had left two hours earlier after having a heavy make-out session in the corner booth they had commandeered and Jack, Lucas and Marty shortly after words. Sylas had stayed in the booth all night rising once to use the bathroom but otherwise remaining put despite the many invitations he got from girls. Sarah had called her parents and after a brief argument was staying with Caleb for the night. Tyler invited Jinea to crash in his room but she declined and was getting a ride home from Sylas along with Carisa and Max. Though Reid knew they were supposed to get home via Sylas he thought he'd appeal to both girls separately about staying in his room for some loving. He pulled Carisa aside first.
"So, I had fun tonight," Reid pulled her into his arms. "How about crashing at the hotel with me instead of going home. It'll be fun, I promise."
"Um," Carisa considered his offer. He was definitely easy on the eyes but she knew his type. She'd dated one like him before, the 'do them and drop them' guy. It could be good but she could tell that if she said 'no' he go and ask Max. If she said 'okay' then he'd still be pining for Max without knowing that she was unattainable and wouldn't give a relationship a second thought until he was turned down by her. "Tonight's not a good night for me," she finally answered. "I'm sorry."
"That's cool, another time then," Reid said, looking genuinely disappointed. As he let her go he looked around for Max, doing exactly what Carisa predicted. She climbed into the back seat of Sylas' SUV and rolled down the window so she could listen. She noticed Sylas had leaned over to do the same. They watched as Reid appeared to be repeating his lines with her.
"So, I had an awesome time tonight," Reid pulled the indigo haired girl to his body. "How about you crash with me tonight and we make the night truly memorable."
"Yeah, I'm thinking not," Max pushed him away turning to go to Sylas car, noticing Carisa and Sylas watching.
"What?" Reid was taken aback by her rejection. "Why not? You seemed into it when we were dancing."
"That's cause it was dancing Malfoy," Max gave Sylas and Carisa an exasperated look before turning back to face the blond. "Not the hot dry sex threesome you think it was."
"It wasn't?" Reid asked, trying to hold in a laugh at the way she'd worded his thoughts from earlier.
"No, and though my reason isn't the same as Carisa's," Max looked at him, annoyed with his persistence. "I wouldn't either way."
"And why not?" Reid crossed his arms.
"Because you're one of those guys, and I'm not one of those girls," Max almost yelled her accent thickening. "But that's not it."
"If that's not then what is," Reid raised his eyebrows.
"Listen," Max clenched her eyes shut before looking back up at him, dead in the eye. "You are a great looking guy and by God if that were enough I would probably go home with you in a heart beat."
"So, what do I have to do to make it enough," Reid asked.
"I would say get a sex change," Max laughed at the look on his face. "I'm a lesbian Reid. I like girls."
"Well, I can be a girl," Reid said trying to save himself from humiliation. He knew that not only were Sylas and Carisa watching this from the SUV he was facing but Tyler was watching this rejection from his Hummer behind him.
Author's Note: I'd like to thank those of you who take the time to post a review for this (A.K.A. Draco's Secret Lover, Dunamess, switchbat and Gothiclover from the first chapter). Thank You!