Hey all! So, this chapter has a little bit of sexual innuendos and such. No lemon-like content though, I assure you. I go back to school soon, so updates might not be as often, but I'll try to post at least two more chapters before then. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant or any of the characters. I do, however, own Astaire and the other OC's, as well as the plot.
When Astaire arrived at school the next day, she was slightly surprised to find Reid and Tyler waiting for her at the entrance.
"What's up, guys?"
Reid shrugged, sticking a gloved hand in his pocket.
"We thought we'd walk you to class."
Laughing slightly, Astaire looked at Reid in amusement.
"You're going to walk me to class?"
Reid scowled. " Yeah. So?"
" Well, for starters, this is probably the first time you've ever walked a girl to class. This is going to be a historic moment. 'Reid Garwin acts courteous.'"
" Whatever," he scoffed dismissively. " Besides, I can be a perfect gentleman when I want to."
" Yeah right." Tyler said, chuckling a bit. Annoyed, Reid glared at him to shut him up. After glaring back Tyler just shook his head and walked inside.
" And," Astaire continued, ignoring the glaring contest that had just transpired, " I wasn't sure if you were still mad at me."
The blonde's eyes softened a bit as he slung an arm over her shoulder.
" Nah…what's in the past is in the past," he said, regaining his careless attitude. "Besides, you must have been suffering from Reid withdrawal in L.A. That's punishment enough." With a smirk he grabbed her bookbag out of her hands and slung it over a shoulder. " C'mon, let's get to class. I wanna get comfy so I can go right to sleep."
"Typical."
" Well, things haven't changed that much."
Astaire laughed, linking arms with him. She was happy that things were back to normal with her and Reid. Because despite his apparent need to be a badass, he truly was a great guy. She loved him for it, no matter how much she teased him.
"Hey 'Staire? Guess what?"
"What?"
"This gentleman thing isn't that bad. I think chicks actually get turned on by this stuff. I'm scoring major babe points."
Astaire smiled. Yep, typical.
When Pogue saw Astaire and Reid walk in, arm in arm, he wasn't quite sure what to think. The way they were laughing and the fact that they looked so comfortable together would convince any onlooker that they were way more than friends. But that wasn't the case…right?
"Stop seeing things that aren't there," Caleb chided him gently. " They aren't romantically interested in one another."
Pogue nodded a little, thinking about it.
"Yeah, but they look like they're going out…"
Caleb shrugged. " They act affectionate to a degree. Like brother and sister. That's how their relationship works." Caleb paused, putting down his pen. " Speaking of relationships, have you sorted stuff out with Kate? Sarah said you needed to talk to her, but have you gotten the chance?"
Pogue sighed. "Yeah, we broke up this morning." At Caleb's shocked expression, he added, " We've been over for a while. Somebody just needed to say the words."
Caleb patted him on the back.
"Unfortunately, we all knew that. It just seemed you and Kate didn't want to admit it. I'm just surprised you broke up with her."
Pogue looked at his friend in confusion.
" Why?"
" Because I thought that with Astaire coming back you'd stay with Kate. I didn't think you'd want anyone saying you broke up with Kate because of Astaire."
The longhaired boy exhaled loudly. " I didn't even think about that. But I really don't care at this point."
"Did you talk to her?"
" Yeah, I told you. I talked to Kate this morning."
" No, not Kate. Astaire."
"Ahh…"
Pogue thought back on he and Astaire's conversation. He was trying to gauge how much he wanted to tell Caleb.
" It went well. I think we're going to be friends now."
Caleb nodded. "Just friends?"
"Just friends," Pogue confirmed. " For now. But who knows?" Finished with sharing, Pogue pulled his Ipod out of his bag and put the earphones in. Finally relaxing a bit, he closed his eyes.
As soon as Pogue closed his eyes, a grin spread across Caleb's face. Pogue still had feelings for Astaire, just like he suspected. It was only a matter of time before he acted on them.
The bell rang signaling the start of class. Astaire rose from where she was sitting next to Reid as the chair's assigned occupant neared. She scanned the room for an empty seat, praying there was one next to someone decent. There was. Pogue seemed to have no one sitting on his left. Rushing up the stairs quickly, she slid smoothly into the seat.
This could be awkward, but it's better than sitting next to Kira.
"Mind if I sit here?" she asked Pogue amiably.
"Nah," he answered with a small smile. " It's fine."
Astaire nodded, saying thank you. Pogue seemed a little unsure around her, even though he had smiled. He wasn't sure how to act towards her just yet, even though the unbearable tension that was present the day before had vanished. She couldn't blame him; she felt the same way. They were testing the waters, seeing if the "friends" thing could work.
The professor started her lesson, writing equations and problems on the board. Astaire was quickly taking notes, writing down everything. Math was not her easiest subject. She did well, but she really had to try.
Pogue, unbeknownst to everyone but his friends, was extremely good at math, so he only wrote down what was strictly necessary. He used the spare time when he wasn't writing to look at Astaire out of the corner of his eye. Pogue, in the past, had always found it amusing to watch her during math class. She would sigh in frustration when the teacher went to fast, or smile brightly when she understood the material without having to ask a question. The way her eyebrows rose when the professor asked them to solve a long problem had always brought a grin to Pogue's face.
So when she started doing of that now, he smiled a little at the familiarity of the sight. He had missed this, and it made him happy to see all her quirks again after so long. Pogue was so happy in fact, that he didn't notice that Caleb had caught him staring. A note was tossed into his lap discreetly and Pogue looked over at his brother questioningly before opening it.
You know, even though you're acing math, you should probably pay attention. She'll eventually notice that your eyes are boring a hole into her face.
They were not…I was only looking at her for a second.
Sure you were. That's why the last step you've taking notes for is three when we're currently on step seven.
Pogue hurriedly looked up at the board to see Caleb was right. Avoiding Caleb's teasing expression, he started writing furiously. He had time to decipher his now-sloppy handwriting later. Right now, he just had to get the notes down.
Astaire sighed in relief as her last class before lunch ended. She was starving, and in the mood for a Club sandwich and fries. She quickly exited the classroom and headed towards the dining hall. She was grateful that she didn't have to wait for the Sons, seeing as she didn't have that class with them. Boys could be such slowpokes sometimes.
Waltzing into the dining hall, she joined the food line. After she got her food, she moved to the side of the room. She belatedly realized that she had no clue where her friends sat at lunch. And sitting with random people didn't appeal to her at the moment.
Maybe I got here too quickly…
" Yo, Astaire!"
Astaire looked over by the windows, and saw Reid sit down at a table with the rest of the boys. He was waving her over with his left hand, the other hand wrapped around a burger. As she moved towards the table, he took a huge bite while he sat down. Reid then flashed her a grin, his cheeks puffed out a tad because of the enormous wad of food.
" Here you guys are," Astaire said, slipping into the seat next to Reid. Spotting Sarah, she smiled brightly. "Hi! I haven't had a chance to talk to you much yet."
Sarah nodded, her expression mirroring Astaire's. " Yeah, but we'll definitely get to know each other. After all, it'll be nice to have another girl to hang out with. Sometimes all the testosterone is a little overwhelming."
Astaire laughed. " That is true."
Caleb was observing the scene between his best female friend and his girlfriend. He was happy to see that they were getting along. It was obvious they were going to be fast friends. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
" Hey Pogue, where's Kate?"
Caleb glanced at Reid wearily.
Or not.
Pogue, who was about to eat a handful of chips, paused. He had forgotten that he had yet to tell Reid, or Tyler for that matter, the news.
"We broke up. I ended it this morning."
Tyler stared at Pogue in shock over his Coke can. Of all the explanations he has expecting Pogue to give, it wasn't that. Reid however just shrugged, taking another bite of his sandwich.
"About damn time."
"Reid!" Sarah scolded. " That's so mean!"
"No it's not. It's the truth. I mean, c'mon. You of all people knew that the shit was going to hit the fan. You're her roommate."
Astaire's eyebrows rose. Sarah was Kate's roommate? That was an unexpected twist to the story. Had she known that Pogue was going to break up with Kate?
Pogue rolled his eyes in response to Reid's comment.
"The shit didn't hit the fan. It wasn't a big argument."
Reid looked surprised, but didn't add anything else. He just went back to eating. Astaire looked concernedly at Pogue, who was no staring pensively at his sub sandwich.
"I'm fine," Pogue said, sensing her eyes and looking at her. " It hurts a little, but I'm ok."
She bit her lip, not sure whether to argue with him or just let it go. She opted in the end to let it slide.
"Alright. I'm sorry things didn't work out between you two."
Pogue paused for a second, choosing his words.
"I'm not really worried about it. If something's meant to be, it'll be. No matter what mistakes the two have made."
His eyes were slightly intense as he looked at her. She didn't miss it, and she began to wonder if he was implying what she thought he was. A spark passed between the two as they stared at each other.
" Hey Pogue." a female voice said flirtatiously.
Pogue looked slowly away from Astaire and at the girl standing behind her.
" Hi Diana."
Everyone at the table turned to look at her. She was tall, with long red hair that was pulled into a messy up do. Her uniform shirt was unbuttoned to the point where major cleavage was showing, and her skirt was hiked up so high it almost showed her underwear. Reid thought she looked hot. Astaire thought she looked like a stripper.
Diana smiled sultrily and sashayed her way over to sit on the table right in front of Pogue.
" I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your breakup," she said, not sounding sorry at all, " And I just wanted to give you this to cheer you up."
She slowly and sensually lifted his hand off the table and into her lap. Then she pulled a pen out of her hair, causing it all to come cascading down in shiny waves. Writing her phone number on his hand, she leaned forward, her chest brushing his.
" I just wanted to give you my cell number. It's changed since our last little interlude," she whispered. With that, she got up and sauntered back to her table, purposely swaying her hips as she went.
" What was that all about?" Sarah asked, distaste in her voice. " I hate to be mean, but that girl looks like she should be standing on a street corner."
Reid looked back at Diana hungrily.
" I agree. I'd definitely pay for her services."
Astaire frowned in disgust.
" Put your eyes back in your head, you pervert."
Surreptitiously, she glanced at Pogue, who was looking anywhere but at her. Astaire looked at Caleb for an explanation, but he shook his head, conveying that if she wanted answers, she'd have to ask Pogue.
"That was strange," said Tyler, "I can't believe she came over here. She hasn't actually said anything to you since you guys st---"
" Not now, Baby Boy." Caleb said, cutting him off. Tyler looked confused at Caleb's interruption. Then following Caleb's pointed gaze, he looked from Pogue to Astaire and back again. He turned an even shade of crimson.
"Whoops…"
The bell rang loudly, shaking the group out of the awkward silence.
"Where to next?" Sarah asked Astaire, relieved that she had a question to ask.
" Psychology."
Sarah beamed. " I have that class too. Let's go."
Saying bye to the guys, they hurried out of the room. Sarah was practically dragging Astaire away. As soon as they were in the hallway, Sarah stopped and looked at Astaire.
"I know we don't know each other very well yet, but if I asked you a question, would you tell me the truth?"
Astaire looked confused, but answered anyway.
" Of course."
" You and Pogue were more than friends, weren't you?"
The darker girl blinked, looking bewildered.
" Where did that question come from?"
" You didn't answer my question," Sarah said gently.
Astaire bit her lip. She didn't know why she was so reluctant to tell Sarah. It's not like she was ashamed of having gone out with Pogue, or that she thought Sarah was going to tease her. Sighing, she gave an answer.
" Yes, Pogue and I were more than friends before I left."
Sarah nodded.
"Now everything makes more sense. Caleb had told me yesterday that you were all just childhood friends, but that didn't explain the tension between you and Pogue yesterday. Even though you two didn't saw anything to each other, I could feel the anxiety roll off you two like waves."
Astaire looked at her, amazed.
" You picked all that up from the two seconds you spent around the both of us yesterday?"
Sarah shrugged.
" It was obvious…at least to me."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Astaire laughed. Now it was Sarah's turn to look bewildered.
" What's so funny?"
Gasping for air, Astaire tried to explain.
" I'm sorry! This is just such a classic movie moment. And I'm just so anxious about everything…and I laugh sometimes when I get anxious. I'm sorry!" She was still cracking up and she was holding her stomach with one arm.
After a moment, Sarah started to laugh as well.
" This is just too weird!"
BRRINNG!
Both girls immediately stopped laughing at the sound of the bell. With one look at each other, they tore off running down the hall. They were definitely going to be late for class.
Sitting in Chemistry, Pogue was mortified. The incident with Diana at lunch was playing on repeat in his mind, and he felt nauseous. It wouldn't have been a big deal if Astaire hadn't been sitting right across from him. And then when Tyler had almost spilled everything? Oh man…this day started out fine, but it was really starting to suck.
" Dude, you should have known she was going to come into the picture again," Reid whispered, swishing around the lab chemicals they had been given. " She thinks she has dibs on you or something. Did you ever see the way she glared at Kate? Pure icicles, man."
Pogue tried futilely to concentrate on his assignment, as he whispered back, "No shit, Sherlock. But I didn't expect her to do that."
"What? Come up looking like walking sex?"
Pogue shook his head, swallowing.
" No, come up and act like we about to have sex."
Reid laughed humorlessly.
" Well, it wouldn't be the first time you guys hooked up. You two did do the deed a few times that summer after sophomore year."
" And I regret it." Pogue said seriously, setting up the Bunsen burner. " I'd take it back if I could."
" Only because you realized just now that one day Astaire's going to find out, and you feel like crap about it."
Pogue didn't argue, because that was part of it. Instead he asked Reid a question.
" Are you going to tell her?"
Reid looked at Pogue seriously, and then rolled his ice blue eyes.
" No, you dumbass. That's your business to share." When Pogue looked slightly relieved, Reid added, " But I suggest you tell her soon, before she finds out from someone else. You don't want her to think that it was more than it was. It would suck if she thought it was actually about feelings."
Pogue paled. He hadn't even thought about it that way. What if Astaire thought that he had loved Diana? He hadn't wanted her to think that he was the kind of guy that just got involved for physical reasons; however, that was better than having her think he had ever possessed deep feelings for Diana.
"I'll tell her later today," he told Reid as he stuck the harmless chemicals over the burner. They quickly bubbled up and shot out of the container with a bang, shooting solution everywhere. Pogue stood frozen staring at the mess, not even moving to clean it up as he thought:
Or this is exactly what's going to happen between Astaire and me.
Copyright and such... thinkmusic13