Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the characters Piper, Lily, Sophia, and Eden and various other characters you have not come into contact before, if you have then I wonder whether you enjoyed the confusion of my mind because as far as I know that's the only place they have existed. As for the other characters such as the hot Sons of Ipswich that you have come to know and love they are owned by the brilliant minds of J.S. Cardone, and Sony Pictures.

Key:

Regular text

Flashback

Thoughts

Phone Conversations

Chapter 5

Dirty Little Secret

Let me know that I've done wrong
When I've known this all along
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

Who has to know
When we live such fragile lives
It's the best way we survive
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you

Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret

Who has to know
The way she feels inside (inside)
Those thoughts I can't deny (deny)
These sleeping dogs won't lie (won't lie)
And all I've tried to hide
It's eating me apart
Trace this line back

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret)

I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret
Dirty little secret
Dirty little secret

Who has to know
Who has to know

Pogue was miserable. It had been 4 days, 19 hours and 32 minutes since Piper and he had last been alone together. Every expression on her face, every smile she gave, every peel of laughter, every word uttered from her lips was pure, agonizing, torture for him. After all not a single one of them had been just for him. Piper had done amazingly well at covering up the fact that she and Pogue weren't speaking as they had been on the weekend. She never let them be alone together; there were always at least one or two other members of their gang to act as a buffer between them. He had accepted that she had meant what she said about being on her own but it was painful to endure.

On the other hand, Kate seemed to be more clingy and possessive than ever. She wanted Pogue to follow her everywhere, wanted him never more than three feet away. The attention had been nice at first but now it was just obnoxious. Pogue desperately wanted to just be rid of her but every time he tried to walk away she made that pouty face and acted like he was neglecting her, making him feel bad. He was going crazy.

Currently he was sitting next to Kate in Civics class too lost in his thoughts to really pay any attention to Mr. Cross. He knew that someone (hopefully not Kate) would soon recognize the fact that he was sending death glares every few minutes in Piper's general direction but truthfully he didn't give a shit.

She sat across the room between Lily and Landon Hanover, a hulking Lacrosse player who was openly flirting with her when the teacher's back was turned. The problem was that Piper was flirting back. At the moment he was seething over this fact. Not only was she outrageously flirting back with Landon she also looked a hundred times better than she had when she first showed up last Saturday.

This amazing transformation had happened day by day until now when Pogue didn't think Piper could shine brighter. Her coloring had turned back to a healthy porcelain glow, just pale enough that it was becoming. The dark circles were gone; she didn't look malnourished at all though she still looked thinner than when she had left, and the brilliance of her eye color had returned but that spark that had once brighten his whole day had yet to return and Pogue knew that it was mostly his fault. But the best thing that had happened was that Piper's crowning glory, her magnificent mane of hair now shone brighter than ever. The dark auburn color radiated like a drop of summer, the sheer volume of it causing strands of hair to fall down in front of her eyes. She would occasionally sweep her hand through her hair pushing the strands back, whenever she did this Pogue noticed a faint grin upon her face like she was having her own private burst of sunshine on this dreary day. Pogue suddenly shook his head trying to regain clarity; he was acting as a man bewitched.

He sighed deeply, there was no getting away from it, he was steadily becoming utterly obsessed with everything about Piper. Frankly he blamed her; if she wasn't being so standoffish to him he probably wouldn't be so consumed with thoughts of her. Pogue flinched when he heard the peeling laughter coming from her side of the classroom.

"Miss Carlisle, is there something you wish to share with the class?" Mr. Cross asked clearly irritated by the interruption.

"No Mr. Cross," Piper replied back in a lighthearted mockery, "Excuse my interruption." The laughter and carefreeness in her voice grating on Pogue's mind like nails on a chalkboard. He wanted to be the one sitting there making her laugh, flirting with her, just being near her instead of popular, handsome Landon Hanover.

Pogue sighed heavily. This was bad, almost sickening, he was on a free fall downward spiral towards falling head over heels for Piper again…if he wasn't there already.

"That's it! I'm now positive they are avoiding each other." Sophie grumbled aloud. She, Reid, Lily, Edie, and Tyler sat at lunch busy eating their lunches. Sarah had dragged Caleb off somewhere earlier. Piper had just left on the pretense of needing to go to the library for research for a recent assignment while Pogue had gone to hang with Kate somewhere. At Sophie's outburst all heads turned in her direction. Reid, while shoveling fries in to his mouth, said, "Soph, they probably could use a few days away from one another. It's no big deal."

"Actually Reid it is," Eden murmured quickly, "Pogue keeps staring at Piper any chance he gets. This whole haunted look in his eyes while Piper does her best to ignore his existence but I've caught her glancing his way on more than one occasion. And on top of that, the chaotic emotions the two of them have been emitting have given me migraines for the past few days."

"How do you notice that?" Reid asked in disbelief. Eden narrowed her eyes while the others all gave a groan of exasperation, "Reid I'm empathetic, I feel what other people feel around me."

"Oooohhh rriiiggghhhtttt! I completely forgot," Reid said sheepishly.

"You're such an idiot Reid," scoffed Sophie with a roll of her eyes. He just shrugged, "At least I'm not a bitch."

Sophie fumed, "Take that back!"

"No."

"Take it back!"

"No."

"Reid! Take it back NOW!"

"Never."

"Grrr!"

Sophie tried to lunge for him but Lily forcefully pulled her back, "That's enough children. God can't you two go five minutes without bickering? Now how do you suppose we fix this?"

"Well Pogue's 18th is in a few weeks," Tyler said but the minute he said it his face fell as he realized something, "Pogue said that if him and Kate are still together by his birthday, he's going to tell her everything; about us, and about you."

Everyone had a look of shock plastered on their faces. It wasn't long before Sophie began to voice her opinion, "What is he? Nuts? Kate will first off freak out, secondly she'll ruin our lives, and third she just won't understand!"

"Then obviously we need to do something before that," Eden countered, "I suggest we get them alone as much as possible within the next two weeks. Then they'll have to talk to one another."

"Sounds like a plan," said Lily as she stood to leave, "I'd love to stay and chat more but lunch is nearly over and I got to get to class. And you four should too." She gave them all an expectant look. Only Tyler and Eden made any movement towards getting up.

"We'll see you guys later then," Reid called out as Tyler, Lily, and Eden all left the cafeteria, "I guess it's just you and me Baby Spice."

"Yeah in your dreams, Garwin," snapped Sophie. She rolled her eyes while she got up from the table and followed the others out, leaving Reid by himself.

Friday at Nicky's the whole gang was sitting around their usual tables, including Sarah and Kate. It made for awkward moments and after a half hour of Sophie and Kate throwing barbs back and forth between one another; Piper had the sense to drag Sophie off for a game of pool.

"God I hate her!" fumed Sophie, "Piper I don't know how you can stand it, to see that skank all over Pogue."

Piper flinched as if she had been struck. The gravity of what Sophie had uttered hit her like a brick, "Oh my God Piper I'm so sorry, that was horrid of me to say."

"No, no Soph it's fine," Piper assured with a smile. She picked up two pool sticks, tossing one to Sophie, "Besides you and I have something better to do…Show off how smoking hot we are playing pool!"

Sophie laughed, clearly seeing Piper's point. The two of them were definitely dressed to impress. Piper's hair cascaded down her back like an auburn waterfall while she wore low cut black skinny jeans, a cut off white tank, and a pair of black wedges. Sophie herself wore a jean skirt with a ruby red halter and matching shiny red pumps, her own hair curled to perfection.

The two played pool spending time doing what they usually didn't do often; bonding. With their opposite elements Sophie and Piper tended to butt heads a lot due to how explosive their natures were. It was during this rare bonding that Aaron Abbot and his scumbag friends decided to hit on them.

Sophie was leaning over making her shot when she felt a hand on the small of her back. Thinking it was Reid she smirked, "Trying to get a closer look at what a true player can do, Garwin?"

"Garwin hasn't got anything on me sweetheart," a voice murmured in her ear. Taken by surprise, Sophie gasped and slipped on her shot. Angry, Sophie whirled around, glaring at Aaron, "You made me mess up you prick!"

"Can't help what I do to women," he shot back without hesitation. He took a step closer to Sophie reaching a hand out to tug a curl while he backed her up to the table. Piper would have tried to interfere had she not been preoccupied trying to ward off some of Aaron's sleazy friends. Aaron was definitely too close for comfort and Sophie knew she had to do something about it fast before Aaron actually tried to put a move on her.

As Aaron was leaning in to attempt a kiss Sophie pulled back about to throw a punch when suddenly Aaron wasn't there to be punched.

Instead Reid had come out of nowhere and tackled Aaron to the ground. He was now punching the living shit out of Aaron while Tyler, Pogue, Caleb, and Aaron's friends rushed to pull him off. Nicky's had gone silent with shock. The boys were having a hard time pulling Reid off and Nicky was still trying to cut through the crowd.

Not knowing what else to do Sophie screamed, "Reid! Stop It!"

Instantly Reid froze giving the guys a chance to rip him off Aaron. Time seemed to stop for a moment as no one seemed to know what to do. Reid looked positively livid. In fact Sophie didn't think she'd ever seen him so angry about anything before.

Silently she grasped Reid's hand and led him out back. The minute they were out there Reid let go and felt the need to throw a few energy balls at the stacks of bottles, letting off steam. Sophie just stood there, unsure of what to do. Finally she quietly asked, "Why'd you do it Reid?"

Reid stopped throwing energy balls. He swiveled to face her. For a while he stood silent but then he answered, taking a few steps closer to her, "I did it because I couldn't stand seeing another guy touching you."

Sophie stayed very still almost afraid she hadn't heard correctly. She just stared at Reid with her wide brown eyes.

Reid however took another few steps forward and in a single motion his lips came crashing down on Sophie's. Hard and rough at first, then more gentle as his hands came up to clutch her face.

Sophie felt an electric shock course through her as they kissed. She never thought that she'd ever feel this utter bliss kissing Reid Garwin. She responded hotly, kissing Reid for all she was worth, while she wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her slightly, pressing her against the back wall of Nicky's.

When they finally stopped for breath the two them were breathing so heavily it was like they had run a marathon.

"Wow…" was all Reid could say. His face had this glow of pure pleasure as he stared deeply into Sophie's eyes.

"Yeah…wow…" Sophie murmured, looking up at Reid while he ran his fingers through her hair, "What should we tell the others?"

Reid smirked as he rested his forehead against hers, "We tell them nothing. It'll be our little secret. At least…for now."

And Sophie smiled as Reid leaned down for another kiss.

A/N: Yay! Another Chapter! Okay so it's kinda late but that' scuz I've been graduating high school and settling down at college and all this fun stuff. I'm really sorry about the long wait but I made sure to update as soon as I got into the swing of things and look! here we are! Btw I've offically come to the conclusion that document manger hates me with a burning passion, hence why there is a major lack of consistency in the structure of my chapters. Hopefully it will be fixed one day but untill then...I dunno. Anyway thanks for sticking through and any advice and or requests, ideas, whatnot is VERY appreciated! R&R!

TS