Chapter Thirty-Eight

"I slept with Kate."

The classroom was dead silent, yet the world seemed to just ring, a loud buzzing around his ears. Pogue felt his arms drop from crossed over his chest as he stared at his friend. One of his best friends. The kind of friend you would take a bullet for.

"You... Ah- What did you just say?"

Reid swallowed and started to pace, "Look man. I was messed up, we were both drunk and I don't know, we were fucking pissed, about everything that was going on with you and Vic and..." Reid trailed off as he looked back at Pogue.

Pogue felt frozen, he watched as Reid stared back at him. The colour drained from Reid's face. Pogue looked away from his friend at the floor. "I don't..." Pogue shook his head, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "When?"

Reid swallowed, "In Boston. After State."

Victoria appearing back in the hotel room and throwing up. Did she see? Pogue shook his head, looking back at Reid. "What are you talking about, you were drunk and pissed? You got Kate drunk?"

"No! No! Dude we were both drinking, it was just...we were pissed about everything, between you and Victoria-"

"You didn't tell Kate about anything, did you?" Pogue advanced on Reid, who instantly started shaking his head, although also taking a step back all the same.

"No! I'm not-" Reid took a deep breath, "No, I didn't but I didn't need to tell Kate anything. She had seen you two together, it wasn't a leap. And we were talking and ... drinking and then I phoned Vic's room and you picked up the phone..." Reid's eyes were accusatory as he met Pogue's eyes.

Telling Victoria he loved her. Kissing her for the first time. The hotel room phone ringing with no one on the other end... that had been Reid? Pogue shook his head, glaring at his friend, "So you decided to have sex with my ex-girlfriend?! While you were dating Victoria?!"

"Look, Pogue, I know I fucked up! That is why I am telling you!" Reid yelled back.

"I can't believe you! Am I supposed to be thankful? What, respect your decision to come clean!? I can't believe this! This whole time all we have worried about, all she has worried about was you!" Pogue shook his head. He had never wanted to drive his fist into a friends face so much. "What the hell REID!"

He felt the power coursing through his veins. Reid blinked, "Pogue! Man! I know I messed up but-"

"BUT WHAT? How can you have an excuse for every shitty thing you do?!" The light fixtures started to rattle above them.

Reid took a step forward, "I am sorry if I didn't handle my life falling apart all that well!" In a flash his eyes were black. "I ruined everything but I made the choice I did. Victoria was barely looking at me and every time I turned around she was at your goddamn side, laughing at your jokes!"

"Than be a man and end it! Don't have sex with one of your best friend's ex-girlfriends!" Pogue shook his head, and a bulb above them exploded, "I can't believe you!"

"POGUE! REID!" Pogue and Reid both turned to see Caleb standing in the door way, followed closely by Tyler and Victoria. All of them had jet black eyes. "That's enough!" Caleb yelled.

Pogue shook his head, turning away from Reid. He couldn't look at him without rage pulsing through his veins. "What the hell!" Caleb snapped, blinking and in an instant his eyes returned to normal. "We are in the middle of the school!"

Victoria pushed past Caleb and walked towards Pogue but her eyes went to Reid across the room. Pogue blinked, frustration rolling over him. He shook his head and turned to walk out the door. "Pogue." Victoria looked at him with concern on her face.

He shook his head, 'He told me what happened in Boston." Victoria's face fell and she looked over at Reid. Her eyes were cold but they were also something else... something Pogue couldn't put his finger on. She looked back at him. Tyler and Caleb were both looking between the three off them and Pogue saw Reid sink into one of the benches behind the desks. Pogue shrugged, his eyes fixed on Victoria, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Victoria bit her lower lip. "I..." She shrugged looking up at him, "I didn't want to hurt you."

Caleb was watching Pogue like a hawk but it was Tyler who spoke next, "What the hell guys? What is going on with everybody? Using at school? Screaming at each other? What the hell happened in Boston?!"

Victoria looked from Pogue to Tyler and then over to Caleb who was now watching her. Caleb shook his head and walked over to the classroom door and closed it. He put his hand in the middle of the door and they heard him mumble under his breath, starting the spell. All four of them felt as his magic rolled around the room, the blinds on the windows dropping, before Caleb turned around and all four of them inherently knew they couldn't be interrupted.

"This needs to stop now. The only way this works, our families work, is if we are honest with one another. So we need to get this out now." Caleb said looking from Reid to Victoria to Pogue.

Victoria shook her head glaring back at her brother, "This isn't a family affair and you aren't the boss. This has nothing to do with you and it's none of your business."

Caleb stepped towards his sister opening his mouth to argue but Pogue spoke first, "Reid had sex with Kate when we were all in Boston for State."

Caleb, Tyler and Victoria all looked at Pogue with shock on all their faces.

"What?" Caleb said.

"No!" Tyler gasped looking over at Reid.

"Pogue!" Victoria glared at him and he could feel her irritation, but Pogue found he didn't care. He was done protecting Reid, even for Victoria's sake.

"You slept with Kate?" Tyler exclaimed his head whipping around to look at Reid incredulously, "Pogue's Kate?"

Caleb looked from Victoria to Reid, "Before or after Victoria left with Pogue?" Reid stayed hunched in his seat staring at the floor, "REID! BEFORE OR AFTER?!" Victoria jumped at Caleb's voice.

Reid stood up, looking lost, not meeting anyone's eyes, "Before."

"You son of a-" Caleb lunged and it was Tyler who threw himself in front of Caleb to stop him attacking Reid.

"Caleb stop!" Tyler yelled trying his damnedest to hold back his rather bigger friend.

"Caleb!" Victoria yelled turning to face the scene but Pogue stepped back from her grabbing his bag and heading for the door. "Pogue!" Victoria dashed back across the room, grabbing Pogue's arm before he walked out of the room, "Where are you going?" She asked, her eyes searching his face.

"I need to get out of here." Pogue shook his head, "I need to think."

"Think about what?" Victoria sounded desperate as she clung on to his sleeve.

Pogue looked at her, and shook his head, "Why didn't you just tell me?" Victoria looked into his eyes ands looked like she was going to cry, but she didn't say anything. Pogue shook his head, "I'll see you later." With that he turned and walked out of the room.

It was dusk by the time Pogue pulled into his driveway and rain was just starting to splash on the visor of his helmet. He pulled his bike up to the house to see Victoria sitting on the front steps wrapped in her jacket, hood up.

Pogue took a deep breath, kicked down the kick stand and walked over to her, "What are you doing, Victoria?" He asked walking up to the front steps.

She sprung up, like she was full of nervous energy and her eyes had this sort of frantic shine in them, "I came because I had to talk to you and tell you what happened." She sounded breathless and worried.

Pogue blinked as the rain started coming down heavier, "No, Vicky, I-" He took a step towards her, reaching for her, but she jumped as if she really was upset.

"No Pogue! You have to hear me out." She practically yelled looking at him with a hard gaze. He took a deep breath and just watched her. "I didn't know what to do. I went to Reid's room to end it, like we had talked about and there they were." Her eyes unfocused and she looked away from Pogue's eyes for a second, and Pogue could feel the swell of rage in his chest just as clearly as he could see it in her eyes. But she blinked and refocused on Pogue that concern filling her eyes again, "And I just knew I had to get away from there and so we left. And every time I thought about it, I just wanted to... I dunno, but I knew it was hard to control. And I just didn't know what to say to you. Because I didn't want to hurt you and," Pogue stepped closer to Victoria closing the gap between them as she rambled on, "Every time I tried I just didn't know how to say it, I still don't and I didn't mean to keep it from you, or lie or anything. I just couldn't... Say it..." She looked up into his eyes, as the rain plastered her hair down.

Pogue watched her closely and lifted his hands up to her neck, his thumb tracing her jawline, and he felt Victoria lean into his touch but her eyes were still searching his face, waiting... He took a deep breath as thunder crashed over head, "I was gonna say, why aren't you inside?"

Victoria blinked, looking taken aback, "Well... I wasn't sure... If you would want to talk to me..." Her eyes suddenly started looking everywhere but at Pogue. And he realized this was the real Victoria, no bravado. She was damaged, and had been hurt, and abandoned, time and again in her life. She wasn't used to consistency.

"Vicky, I was upset with you, that's gonna happen." He said shaking his head, feeling the rain soaking through his own hair.

"I know and I-"

But he cut her off, before she could get rolling again, "I'm gonna get upset. We are gonna have fights. But I will always wanna see you." She blinked and looked up into his eyes. "There is no deal breaker for me. You're it. I am always gonna be here."

She took a deep breath and still looked like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, "I'm... I'm not used to that." She said quietly.

"Get used to it." Then he couldn't stop himself. Pogue leaned down, reaching out he grabbed Victoria's arms and pulled her into him, bringing his lips down on hers. Victoria instantly melted into Pogue, grabbing on to the front of his motor cycle jacket, as he wrapped his arms around her. Electricity rocketed through his entire body as he let the kiss wash over him, and overwhelm his senses. Her soft lips and the smell of her skin was all he could focus on, all he wanted to focus on.

Suddenly, the second crash of thunder over head and the brilliant flash of lightning brought him back to his sense though. He slowly pulled back from her but kept her tight in his arms, "Can we go inside now?" He asked, smiling down at her.

Victoria was studying his features, and looking like a child that opened a present that was too good to be true. Eventually, evidently unable to speak she simply nodded, and wrapping his arm around her, they ran to the front door and walked in the house.

They stood dripping on the threshold for a while before Pogue shook out his hair. He looked at Victoria. "I want to talk to you about something," He said.

She nodded, "Nothing bad?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

Pogue shook his head, "No, nothing bad." He assured her, smiling from one corner of his mouth at her. She took a deep breath.

"Alright then."

"Come on, dry clothes first." He said offering her his hand. Victoria smiled as she placed hers in his. And Pogue felt her relax for the first time since he got home.