Chapter 3:

-

"Hey, Caleb," Pogue said as they passed each other in the halls. "We're all going to Nicky's tonight, you in?"

"You know it," Caleb promised, walking backwards to face him as they talked. "What we celebrating?"

Pogue beamed broadly, and said nothing as they kept on down the hall, growing father and farther apart.

"What made you think we needed to celebrate?" he replied at last.

"The look on your face, my friend," Caleb said with a smile. "You had better let us in on the deal tonight."

"We're just going to enjoy ourselves, Caleb. Nothing more."

"Lies!" Caleb accused loudly and the other students in the halls began to stare at him. "You suck at lying, Pogue! And wipe that stupid smile off your face—you're creepin' me out."

"Just be there!" he yelled before he went beyond earshot.

Caleb smirked and pondered all the things that Pogue could possible have to announce. Hopefully it wasn't something too drastic.

"Hey Sarah, how are you do--" he began when he snuck his head around the corner. He cut himself off when he realized he had come to his girlfriend's door with bad timing, for Kate and her were in the middle of a heated discussion. They were so wound up in their arguing that they didn't even realize he was there.

"It's just for a little while, Sarah!" Kate tried to settle her roommate down as she packed her things. "The school year's ending in two weeks!"

"How could you abandon me like this?" Sarah protested sadly. "We've always roomed together. How am I going to find another one this late in the year? Who's going to pay the other half of the rent?"

"I'm sorry," Kate said, and she meant it. "But who knows how much longer I'll get to have Pogue around. I'll help you find a new one if you want."

"I think I'll need the help," Sarah lamented.

"Wait," Caleb said, entering the room fully. "You're moving in with Pogue?"

"Whoa!" Kate jumped with surprise, dropping a picture of herself and Sarah on the floor, making it crack. She bent to pick it up. "Give me a heart attack, will ya?"

"I try," Caleb said apologetically.

"When did you get here?" Sarah said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Just now," he responded quickly, but his mind was on one track. "What's this about her moving in with Pogue?"

"I'm moving in with Pogue," Kate replied like it wasn't a big deal. "That's pretty much it."

"Oh," Sarah chimed in with cynicism. "AND they're engaged."

"Sarah!" Kate scolded.

"Wow, congrats," Caleb said mechanically. "Engaged…"

"Don't tell Pogue you know," Kate told him. "He wanted to surprise you guys tonight."

"Believe me," Caleb assured her, still stunned. "I'm surprised."

"God!" Kate put a hand on her forehead to ease her stress. "He'll kill me if he knew I ruined it. Promise me you won't tell him!"

"I promise!" Caleb said, putting his hands up in alarmed submission.

"I'm not like you, Kate!" Sarah insisted, throwing her hands up with frustration. "If you leave I'll get thrown out on the street."

"Oh, it'll never come to that as long as I have anything to say about it," Caleb assured her.

"That's sweet," Sarah said with a grin. "But you're not helping."

"Oh, save your drama for your mama," Kate snapped at Sarah.

"Who's making fun of my mama?" Reid asked, being the next to pop his head in the room. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"I'm afraid so," Caleb admitted over his shoulder to Reid standing behind him.

"What is this, a party?" Kate said with annoyance of having to avoid the growing number of people as she tried to gather her belongings about the room.

"Out, you two, get out," she commanded them, motioning for them to go out the door.

"Not until I know what's going on," Reid insisted, then as he saw Kate's packed boxes, it dawned on him. "Wait, is she moving in with Pogue?"

"Nice job, Sherlock," Caleb muttered over his shoulder again. He put his hand over his mouth like a gossiping little girl. "They're engaged," he scoffed.

"Oh, God," Kate said, slapping her head in complete aggravation. "Not him too! Pogue wanted to tell you all himself!"

"Tell us what?" Tyler said, coming in around Reid, who was still lingering in the doorway.

"That she's moving in with Pogue," Reid explained with no regards to Kate's fury. "They're engaged now, apparently."

"Wow," Tyler said with shock. "Engaged…"

"That's what I said," Caleb agreed.

"NO!" Kate screamed. "You guys have to swear you won't tell him I gave it away."

"Don't worry," Tyler said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll still act surprised."

"Yeah, we can do that," Caleb agreed.

"Thanks," Kate said with sarcasm, obviously not convinced.

"You can always crash with me and Tyler, you know," Reid offered Sarah with a flirtatious grin. "These dorms are co-op."

Caleb frowned.

"God, Reid, please tell me you're joking," he said with obvious annoyance.

"Don't freak," Reid said, claiming innocence through a lying smile. "I'm just trying to help. Do you always have to think the worst of me?"

"Gee, I wonder what gave me that notion…"

"Are you getting on my case again, Danvers?" Reid quickly got in his friend's face.

"Hey, if you can just abide by some rules some of the time--"

"Guys, guys!" Sarah refereed, coming in-between the two. "Reid, chill out, okay? Don't kill him… He is my boyfriend, after all."

Reid headed for the door, mumbling on his way out:

"Only because he got to you first…"

He slammed the door shut behind himself, making the girls jump in fright of the sudden loud noise.

"Wow, Tyler's right," Sarah said decidedly. "Something's got that boy on edge."

"Yeah and I think I know what…" Caleb said with a frown, throwing Tyler a look. He shrugged back, seemingly oblivious.

-

"Now, remember guys," Kate warned as they jumped out of Tyler's hummer and headed to Nicky's entrance. "Be surprised."

"No problem," Tyler promised as Pogue came out the door to greet his girlfriend Kate.

"Hey, baby," Pogue said, kissing her on the neck. "You miss me?"

Reid rolled his eyes and looked somewhere else, their display disgusting him.

"Always," Kate promised. "Let's go in, huh?"

"Hey guys," Pogue called to the rest of them. "Enjoy yourselves—it's on me tonight."

"He should get engaged every Friday night," Reid muttered to Caleb, who chuckled in reply.

Once inside, Pogue sat them all at a table, and they tried their best to seem unaware as to why. Pogue bought the drinks all around, but soon a half an hour had passed, and he hadn't said a thing about it. In fact, he seemed very natural, like he had no intention of ever telling them. Even Kate seemed confused as to how he could manage to be so calm.

So Caleb threw him a bone.

"A toast!" he said, standing up. "To us, and the bright future surely ahead."

"And only looking brighter," Pogue said, taking the bait like a charm. "Which brings me to an announcement."

Caleb sat down as Pogue arose from his own chair, and Tyler and Reid did their best to act bewildered.

"An announcement?" Caleb said. "I thought you said we weren't here to celebrate, Pogue…"

"I lied," Pogue replied and took Kate's hand in his. "This may come as a bit of a shock… but Kate and I… Well, the thing is, guys… I asked her to marry me and she said yes."

Tyler's mouth fell open like a codfish and Reid clutched his heart like he was having a heart attack.

"No way!" Tyler said maybe a little over-exaggeratedly.

"You're kidding?!" Caleb followed suit.

"I am SO surprised!" Reid chimed in.

Pogue's face fell.

"You all knew about this, didn't you?" he guessed.

"Well, Spenser is only so big, you know," Tyler caved quickly.

"We would've found out sooner or later," Caleb added in next.

"It's Kate's fault," Reid jumped in last.

"Reid!" Kate cried out, then slapped him on the shoulder.

"I should've known I can't keep a secret from you guys," Pogue said regretfully, then sat down with an amused grin on his face. "You guys are unbelievable."

"We know," Reid admitted with a smile.

"Except you, from what I hear," Pogue teased Reid. "What's this about you getting the diss off from a pool hottie?"

"You should have seen it," Tyler boasted of his moment of glory. "She wouldn't even let him get a word in edgewise."

"It was pretty brutal," Caleb agreed. "It's the first time I've seen Reid shot down like that."

"You could shut up, you know," Reid reminded them. "It wouldn't kill you… though I might if you keep this up any longer."

"It must've been bad for how he's acting," Pogue decided. "He's going to need another beer. Yo, Nicky! We need another one over here!"

"Comin' right up, hotshot!" Nicky replied with a pleasant smile.

After that, Caleb and Sarah got up to dance, while Reid headed over to the pool tables with Pogue and Tyler. It was business as usual, as Tyler slapped down a twenty on the table.

"Red thong," he declared, then jerked his head over to a new waitress in a tight ragged jean miniskirt.

Pogue sighed and dug a twenty out of the pocket of his jeans.

"You know I'm not going to be playing this game much longer, boys," he said, then slapped his twenty on top of Tyler's. "Green see-through."

Reid looked the girl over as his friends awaited his response.

"I'm not playing," Reid announced calmly, then bent back over to continue his game of pool, like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Tyler and Pogue looked at each other with complete and utter bafflement.

"What?" Tyler asked first. "You invented this game!"

Reid took his shot and missed.

"Your turn," he said to Tyler with an even and dead tone.

His mouth wide open with shock, Tyler looked back over to the girl, wondering if she just wasn't Reid's type. It was truer than he realized.

"Hey, it's Elle!" Tyler said in a loud voice.

"Gee, you're observant," Reid drawled sarcastically, tapping his fingers as he impatiently waited for Tyler to take his shot.

"Elle?" Pogue said in confusion. "Who's Elle?"

"The pool hottie that dissed Reid," Tyler laughed. "My hero, Elle Bishop-- You know, that girl who tripped face-first into the garbage can freshman year?"

"Oh, Smelly Ellie!" Pogue caught on.

"The same," Tyler confirmed.

"Wow, milk does the body good," Pogue said approvingly.

"That's what I said," Tyler said. "She was so into me too--"

"Oh, would you just shut the hell up, Sims?" Reid snapped. "Take your shot already, while we're young."

Reid was suddenly disgusted at the insolence of his friends, at his own example too. How could they degrade the girl like that? Hadn't they had enough fun at her expense?

Finally, out of raw anger, Reid decided to test Tyler's true feelings for Elle, and slapped his twenty on top of theirs.

"Fine, white satin," he challenged.

Tyler stepped forward with black shaded eyes, beating Reid to the 'reveal'. As Elle sat down on a bar stool, the back of her skirt didn't go with her, and lifted to show quite plainly that she was indeed wearing… lacy, see-through, hunter green panties.

"How'd do you always know?" Tyler asked Pogue, impressed by his unfailing deductions.

"She's a redhead," Pogue replied, grabbing the bills off the pool table. "Redheads usually wear dark, earthy colors underneath. The lace thing was just a guess. Thanks again for your donations, gentlemen."

"Bastard," Tyler mumbled as Pogue left them to check on Kate. Reid stared at Tyler, shaking his head contemptuously. "What?"

"You panty-betted Elle?" Reid reprimanded.

"So?"

"You don't care that all your friends-- not to mention a couple of strangers-- just saw your wannabe girlfriend's underwear?"

"We did it to the last girl you were into," Tyler said defensively, feeling a bit of his temper rising. "And what is it with you always crushing on our girls? You have a thing for Kate now too?"

Reid immediately grabbed Tyler by the collar and pulled him close to his face.

"You take that back," Reid growled. "Take it back-- before I make you the last of the line of Sims, do you hear me?"

"Whoa, boys," Elle said, laying a hand on Reid's shoulder to pull him away from Tyler. Her touch had an instant calming affect to Reid's body. "You shove it or we shove you outside, capeesh?"

Reid let go of Tyler's collar and he straightened it haughtily.

"Heya, Elle," Tyler said, putting an arm around the girl just to further rub it in Reid's face.

"Oh, Tyler!" she said. "I didn't recognize you guys in clothes."

"Hey," Tyler said with a smile. "If you prefer the speedos, they're at the school."

She laughed heartily at his joke, and Reid decided he'd had enough. He threw his cue stick on the pool table like it was on fire and stormed off.

-

Okay, I promise the plot will unfold very soon, if you'll just bear with me as I set it up for you. Please review.
Signed,
--RedRogue