Chapter Thirty
Pogue jumped over the bed and ran to the bathroom door in time to see Victoria sit back from the toilet looking shaken. "Victoria, what's going on? Are you ok?" Slowly, as if approaching a spooked animal, Pogue stepped forward before crouching in front of her.
"I'm fine," She said not meeting his eyes. "Can you hand me a face cloth please?"
Pogue stood up and grabbed one off the counter but ran it under some cold water before handing it to her. "Thanks." She said quietly taking it from him.
Pogue crouched down again, "What's going on? Was it the dream?" He knew he was still aware of being in Cassius' mind but the dream hadn't seemed that upsetting but maybe for Victoria...
Instantly, Victoria shook her head. "No, it wasn't the dream." For the first time she met his eyes. "I'm just..." She looked lost and he felt a deep worry nagging at him. But in seconds she blinked and her face went clear, "I just want to go home."
Pogue nodded. "We can do that."
Consciousness came slowly, with a banging in his head like a jack hammer and a nausea in his stomach like a rolling ocean.
"I wonder where they could be..." He could remember Kate saying suggestively, her words had sort of blended together. Was that his recollection or had she been slurring?
"They?" Reid had accused.
She had met his eye with the challenge of someone who knew they had truth on their side. "Look Reid, if you want to be in the land of denial then have at it. Vacation there for all I care. But I saw the way they were looking at each other in Nicky's. The way they look at each other everywhere! The way they just happen to bump in to each other in the halls, by their lockers. The way they wait for each other in class, like no one else notices the most obvious thing in Spencer. That only comes with intimacy, connection."
Reid had simply shaken his head, although after all his rum and cokes the action had made the bar start to spin a little. "You don't know... you don't understand the whole story...Itsss... It's complicated."
Kate had shaken her head, "Can't be that complicated. They were never that close before. Something happened they are together whether you like it or not. Save yourself the trouble and just admit it, man. At least Pogue had the decency to show me the door before he did anything. But you... Victoria is playing you like a fiddle."
"You don't know-" He had snapped, rage building in his chest at someone speaking all his deepest fears.
"You keep saying I don't know. But I do and so do you. Stop clinging to a dream. Save yourself the heart ache."
After that there had been more drinks. Laughing, remembering old times. Thinking of booze made Reid's stomach revolt and he barely made to the bathroom before the acrid mess that was in his stomach reemerged into the world. Slowly he stood up, feeling clammy and shaky. "Ugh."
He shuffled back into the bedroom and froze in the door way of the bedroom, staring hopelessly at the bed. At a passed out Kate and the rest of the night came flooding back. The laughing had turning into touching, the touching to kissing. The not caring. The not trying. Feeling vindicated that if Victoria was doing it to him, why shouldn't he do it to her? The feeling of being physically close to someone comforting him in all the worst ways. Feeling like himself again... not caring about consequences.
But in the harsh light of morning, the fog of alcohol removed, all Reid felt was empty.
"Fuck." Regret tumbled over him.
Caleb's words echoed in Reid's head, almost tormentingly, 'Look, man you just need to talk to her. Not just gloss over everything or try and make her feel better, but actually talk to her, tell her what's on your mind.' Now it was too late. Reid covered his face with his hands.
'What have you done?'
No. He shook his head. It was a mistake. A moment in time that never would happen again. Besides Victoria didn't need to know. It wasn't like it was ever going to happen again. This was a moment. A moment of stupid weakness. He could bare the burden of his guilt if it meant she didn't have to suffer because of it.
Reid made his way to the side of the bed. He had to wake Kate up. Get her out of here before anyone else saw her. He had to find Victoria and talk it out, talk everything out. That was when he saw it.
Sitting there. On his side table. The Camaro key. And right then Reid's heart stopped.
Pogue and Victoria sat in the rented sedan as they drove out of Boston. Pogue didn't ask why they had to go to a rental place rather than simply drive Victoria's brand new Camaro. He simply got in the drivers side and Victoria got in the passengers side.
He glanced at her as she sat staring out the window of the car at the passing foliage.
He really couldn't help himself. Worry gnawed in his chest. "Are you ok?"
"What?" She turned and looked at him blinking. She seemed miles away.
"Are you ok? This morning? Something upset you and I just want to know if I can help." She took a deep breath and looked forward, away from Pogue's gaze, rubbing her hands on her thighs. It seemed like she was trying to keep her signature anger in check. Pogue worried he had made her angry somehow over the past evening but couldn't think of how.
"No. It isn't anything you can help with. Nothing you should be forced to deal with as well." Her voice got quiet and she seemed to get lost in thought again, as if she wasn't simply just talking to herself. Before Pogue could argue that, Victoria spoke again, in a ridiculously cheery sounding voice, "So that was finally Cassius and Mera huh?"
He knew she was just trying to distract him. But he let it happen, deciding she must really want to be let off the hook, rather than discuss whatever was troubling her. "Yeah," He said finally, "Cassius and Mera." His mind wandered back to the dream.
"Can you promise me something?" Victoria asked.
Without having to think about it he answered her, "Anything,"
She smiled at his words, and for the first time didn't seem distracted or like she was faking it. "Don't cut your hair like that." He laughed, looking back at the road. And to his surprise Victoria reached over, touching his hair, brushing over his shoulders, "I don't care if I have to pick out the lice myself. Don't ever cut it like that."
He glanced at her. "No?" He asked, chucking.
"No." She looked at him, right in the eye, suddenly getting very serious, "I like it the way it is. Right now."
He watched her for a second before nodded, "Fair enough." Victoria smiled before looking out the window again.
The banging on the door woke Caleb up with a start.
"Oh my god, who is that?!" Sarah whined, rolling over in his arms to face him.
Caleb groaned, "I have no idea, but I am gonna get rid of them." He kissed her on the forehead before getting out of bed. He grabbed his sweat pants and pulled them on over his boxers. He shuffled to the door as banging continued, "Ok, I am coming!" He yelled.
Caleb opened the door to find a frantic looking Reid standing on the other side of the door, about to bang down on it again with his fist. Reid looked awful. His eyes were blood shot with big dark circles under them. He was wearing his swim teams sweats and a zip up hoody over a bare chest. Before Caleb could say anything Reid pushed past him into the hotel room, "I fucked up Caleb."
"Come on in, Reid." Caleb growled.
"REID GET OUT!" Sarah snapped, diving under the comforter.
"Sorry, Sarah, now, is not the time." Reid said shaking a hand at the bed.
"Uh, Reid, you barged into our roman uninvited. Don't snap at Sarah." Reid was pacing frantically at the end of the bed. Caleb felt concern fill his chest. "What's up Reid? And why do you smell like a distillery?"
"Like I said, Caleb, I fucked up." Reid wouldn't meet Caleb's eyes, and Caleb's worry deepened.
"Reid!" Caleb snapped and Reid stopped. And he did something Caleb hadn't seem him do since he was twelve, Reid started to bite his nails. "Reid what is going on?"
Sarah came up from behind the comforter to watch the two boys. Her face had concern written all over it. Caleb glanced at her before turning back to Reid. "Reid?"
He glanced at Caleb. "I did something. I did something I can't take back and... and... I think I ruined it."
Caleb took a deep breath. "Ruined what? Reid? You have to tell me what is going on in order for me to help you!"
Reid started shaking his head, "I ... I gotta go." With that Reid stormed passed Caleb heading for the door.
"Reid, wait! Reid! We can figure this out I just need to know-" But before Caleb could even finish his sentence Reid was out the door and heading down the hall. "Shit!" Caleb slammed the door closed again.
He walked back into the room and Sarah looked at him, "What do you think that was about?" She asked.
Caleb shook his head, rubbing a hand behind his neck, "I dunno. Pass me my phone. I'm gonna call Tori, see if she knows whats going on."
A/N: Super stoked to get another chapter up, hope you enjoyed this chapter as everything starts to happen 0.0. Hope you keep reading and please give me a shout in a review and let me know what you think.