Disclaimer: Don't own the covenant or its characters.

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! They keep me going. Also many thanks to my beta, scarletwithak, you're the best for putting up with my unfinished and grammatically incorrect work. On to the story.

Chapter 4: Keeping secrets secret

I went back to the table where Julie was quietly sipping her coke. "What was that about?" she asked once I was within hearing range. "Tyler looks like you just announced you ran over his cat on purpose."

"I've had enough fun for one night," I said changing the subject to evade the question. "I'm going to head back," I continued, grabbing my jacket off the back of my seat

She nodded quickly, gulping the last of her drink. "Gimme a second, I'm coming with you." She was trying to subtly peek at the pool tables every now and again as she gathered her things. "I'm kinda tired."

The tone of her voice suggested that it wasn't the only reason she wanted to leave, piquing my curiosity. I looked back at the pool area.

Reid was teaching one of his groupies how to play; making a show of leaning into the girl as she positioned her cue and batted her eyes at him. He grinned in return and I almost believed he wasn't gay.

I turned my attention back to my roommate and saw that she was no longer pretending not to stare. "Let's go then," I tried to pull her attention away from the scene, "I need some peace and quiet."

I left a generous tip for the waitress on the table, per custom, knowing what they had to deal with from some of the people at Spenser. I grabbed the still staring Julie and we made our way out and into the cool fall night. The drive back was quiet, she didn't say anything but it was obvious what or rather who she was thinking off as she stared out into the night. I needed to find a way to make her stop liking him. Nothing would come out of the situation: her pining away for a guy who didn't even like girls. The problem was that I needed to do it without telling her the whole of it.

I could have done without the drama.

Back in our room, I was trying to concentrate on Kushiel's Justice, my current literary obsession, when Julie, who'd been quiet so far, spoke up from her side of the room.

"What do you think about Reid?"

Into guys. "Garwin?" I tried to sound neutral.

"Is there another one?"

"He's not…you know…bad looking." It was probably the understatement of the week, but I couldn't say what I really thought.

My roommate sent me a "you're kidding" look before reformulating her question, enunciating. "Elaborate. What do you think of him as a person?"

I tried to come up with an honest response that wouldn't be tainted by my recent discovery. "I…he seems okay, but I don't really know him." Good beginning, neutral. "I think we've exchanged a total of five sentences, at most, so I couldn't say for sure...Strikes me as a jerk though." I glanced across the room to gauge her reaction. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," she answered, still lying on her back, making it hard for me to see her face.

I snorted. "Sure, and you don't have a crush on him."

"Am I that transparent?" she asked wistfully.

"Truth or truth-truth?" I moved to sit cross-legged facing her corner of the room.

"Truth-truth."

"Only reason I didn't notice sooner is, well…because I'm me." I hated knowing myself so well sometimes. "And in case you didn't already know: I'm not very observant…well at least usually, I do have my moments," I added thinking of my recent Nancy Drew work.

She made a rather unladylike comment about airheads.

"Well I make it up by being subtle. As in I would never blatantly stare at my crush from across the room as he played pool with one of his groupies." The goad was worth being at the receiving end of one of her deadlier glares. "What do you see in him anyway?" I asked, truly curious.

She was quiet for a long time.

"It's the whole bad-boy-with-redeemable-qualities thing isn't it?" I ventured and got a pillow thrown at me for my efforts.

"I don't hear you denying it."

She laughed, sitting up in bed. "It's only partially 'the whole bad boy thing'," she quoted the air as she spoke. "It's just…I know there's more to him than he lets on."

I couldn't keep the disbelief off my face, making her laugh once more. "Well then, you know something I don't." I flopped back into bed, only to drift into the peaceful world of sleep a few minutes later.

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A week later, Julie and I were having what had become a routine argument.

"You better tell me what's going on."

"I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing happening between us."

Julie snorted derisively, obviously not believing me. "Riiiiight." She stretched the word into two syllables. "You're going to tell me that since Tuesday, Reid and Tyler just happened to decide to eat lunch at the table where we usually eat and randomly talk to us."

"Yes?" I answered throwing some books on my bed. It was a plausible explanation…or so I kept telling myself.

She leaned against the vanity next to me and the raised The Eyebrow of Suspicion. "Uh-huh."

"For the last time," I said, peeved, as I shoved books for my afternoon classes into my bag, "nothing is happening between Tyler Sims and me or any other son of Ipswich, depending on which rumor you're referring to. I haven't spoken more than maybe twice to any of them since I've been here. And each time it was a very stimulating conversation that involved me asking them where a class was or something just as trivial. Stop looking like you don't believe me." I was being a little less than truthful, but it was for a good cause.

She walked out of the room still looking suspicious. "I hope you realize you're a terrible liar."

I glared at her as I followed and locked the door. "Am not. Not that it has anything to do with this conversation."

I wasn't sure she'd heard my last comment since her attention was riveted on something over my shoulder. Her eyes had a definite twinkle to them when she looked at me again.

She smirked slowly, making me even more nervous. "Two guesses as to who's coming this way, right now."

I must have looked horrified because she burst out laughing. I twisted around to confirm that the identity of the person. And it was He.

My so-called best friend gave me a pointed look. "Tell me again that nothing is going on."

"Do not leave me alone with him." I commanded swinging back to face her.

Julie, however, never one to be cowed by my person, adjusted the straps of her backpack and skipped away instead. "She's all yours," she called out to Tyler, making me think fondly of Chinese finger torture instruments.

"Et tu, Brute?" I called at her back as she sauntered away with a final wave to me.

I groaned and rested my forehead on the door, resisting the urge to bang my head against it, repeatedly. The situation was getting ridiculous, not to mention creepy. Tyler and his friends had been paying particular attention to me for the past week. Attention I could have done without since it had in turn garnered me more than my share of feminine glares and subtle snubs. I'd promised to keep his secret. What more could he want from me?

"You okay?" An all too familiar voice asked from my right.

I closed my eyes and fought the urge to look at him and his pretty eyes. "Go away."

The hallway was silent, which meant he'd opted to ride out my mood and stay where he was. "I don't hear footsteps moving away," I said, hoping he'd get the hint.

I could still feel him close by. Finally, I looked up and tried to look menacing. "That was your cue to leave."

He smiled that annoyingly pleasant smile of his. "I know. Let's go, I need food."

I didn't move. "I said I wouldn't say anything. You and yours don't need to be around all the time."

He rubbed the back of his neck looking bashful. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I sniffed and tried my best to stare him down while looking over his shoulder. I was pretty sure I'd end up ogling him if I were to make eye contact, I bad habit I'd acquired over the past week; one that needed to be eradicated.

He sighed. "Not very subtle, huh?"

"About as subtle as Aaron when he's hitting on me."

He winced. "Well, it was Reid's idea. He said you'd be flattered by our attention and well…you'd be more likely to cooperate."

"Uh-huh. And you went along with this obviously ridiculous plan because…" Tyler seemed smarter than that.

"Would you believe me if I said it was just because I liked you?"

"Don't try to look all innocent, I'm not falling for it." I warned.

"How'd you do on the history test," he asked conversationally, switching topics, as he grabbed one of my arms and began leading me towards the cafeteria.

"Fine. And we weren't done there." I tried to slap his hand away, to no avail. "Personal space!"

He finally let go, only to put his arm around my waist. "Better?"

"I hate you." I grumbled unhappily, but let him maneuver my person through the cafeteria anyway. "What happened to shy, bashful Tyler? I like him better."

"Well, having someone know your deepest darkest secret tends to make a person less self-conscious," he quipped.

"Not my fault Reid's so obvious and Caleb's reactions aren't exactly subtle either. Someone was bound to find out that you guys aren't um…right handed like the rest of us." We'd entered the cafeteria.

"Pogue and I always warned them that their bickering was bound to get us noticed. But they're like fire and ice; it's impossible for them not to."

I nodded, having been exposed to the group more often, even if it had been only a week, I understood what he meant. Caleb and Reid's personalities clashed and since they were so close they had even more ammunition to use against one another. "If it's any comfort they say that fighting is caring."

He snorted. "I wish they wouldn't. They might end up killing each other with all their loving and caring."

I grinned despite my intentions to be as unpleasant as possible in the hope that he would leave me alone.

"Over here," yelled Kate Tuney from beside Julie. It looked like another member of their group had decided to sit join us for lunch. I clucked my tongue in annoyance. This new development was fairly counter productive considering my goal was to get them to leave me alone.

Tyler answer with a small wave and moved towards our usual table. I slapped him upside the head, making him jump away from me with a yelp. I ignored his muttered protest at my treatment and went to sit down. He'd deserved it.

"Where's Pogue?" Tyler asked Kate as he sat down some distance away from me.

"Probably at Hell's Angels 'R' us. He said something new came out for the bike and left without another word."

She sounded annoyed. If our positions had been switched, I'd have felt the same way. It couldn't be easy to have to compete for Pogue's attention with those contenders: bikes and guys. They'd always looked so in love to me…maybe Pogue was actually bisexual?

I laughed to myself, I was getting carried away with my imagination.

I glanced up and caught Tyler looking at me funny, he probably thought I was crazy. I smiled, throwing him off balance and returned to my meal. I wasn't planning on being the next Sarah or Kate, but I could understand the temptation. They were all so pretty, but I wanted someone who'd want me back.

A/N: So that didn't take too long. Already working on the next chapter, it should be out next week or the one after. Working on my other fic also, though that one may take a while seeing how I seem to have hit a brick wall where it's concerned.

Review and make my week!