Title: First Impressions |
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Chapters 6-10 |
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Chapter 6 Sydney looks at her watch once again. It’s seven-thirty in the morning and she and Michael had agreed to meet at seven. She stretches and decides to begin her run. She wonders where he is and tries not to let it bother her. Sydney half-heartedly makes a lap around the track and stops again to look at her watch. She can feel the tears welling up in her eyes and before she can stop them, they start streaming down her face. Frustrated, she wipes them away with the backs of both hands. She feels like an idiot for crying. She’s sure he has a good reason for not being there, he doesn’t seem like the type to just blow someone off. She circles the track once more, but her heart isn’t in it so she stops. She gathers her things and starts walking toward Anne’s office where, once again, she is catching up on some work while Sydney runs. Sydney thinks back to the conversation she and Anne had the previous afternoon. Anne was concerned that Sydney was getting in over her head with Michael. It had been obvious to her that Sydney’s display of giddiness in the hallway was a direct result of her afternoon with him, and she was worried that Sydney would get her heart broken. Sydney had assured her that it wasn’t going to happen because she knows the feelings are one sided. Anne seemed convinced. Sydney isn’t. She can’t help feeling that they made a connection yesterday. He didn’t talk to her like a kid, he talked to her like a peer. Deep down she hopes that just maybe he feels something beyond friendship for her as she does for him. And as for being vulnerable to having her heart broken, the waterworks that keep threatening to break loose are proof that she can’t really guard against that. She passes a payphone and is tempted to call him. He gave her his phone number when they were in the car on the way back to campus yesterday, at the same time that they arranged to meet at seven this morning. She passes the phone, deciding against it. It’s probable that he just overslept, and if that’s the case, she doesn’t want to be the one to wake him up. People are usually grumpy when the phone wakes them up. She gets a little further and begins to reconsider. He was planning to get up early, after all. What if he overslept and he has other important things to do today? She stops walking and glances back in the direction of the payphone, still unsure. She starts walking again, deciding that if she passes another phone she will call. Sydney reaches the next payphone a few minutes later and feels her stomach lurch. She did make the decision to call, but now she’s incredibly nervous. She hates calling people, she always feels as if she’s putting herself in a vulnerable position. She picks up the receiver and deposits her money, pausing before gathering the courage to dial. She dials the number that she’s already memorized, and holds her breath at it rings. Once. Twice. “Hello?” a female voice answers halfway through the third ring. Sydney is taken aback at first, but then considers that he could have a female roommate. This is college after all, people of the opposite genders do share dwellings. “Hi,” Sydney says shyly, “is Michael there?” “Yeah, just a minute,” the girl answers, “Mike, it’s for you. Mike, wake up, the phone’s for you!” Sydney’s heart sinks as she realizes that the girl is obviously in bed with Michael. She almost hangs up, but she feels as if she’s frozen. “Who is it?” Michael asks in a gravelly voice. “I don’t know, some girl,” the girl says haughtily. Sydney hears the sheets rustling and the phone being passed. “Hello?” Michael says. “Uh, hi Michael, it’s Sydney,” she says, trying to sound better than she feels. She doesn’t want him to pick up on the fact that she’s crying. A sob is aching to get out, and she’s fighting to keep it in. “Oh hey Syd,” he says. “Oh my God, it’s a quarter to eight! Aw Syd, I’m sorry I didn’t meet you, I overslept. I was out really late last night and I guess I forgot to set my alarm. I feel really bad.” He sounds really apologetic and it only makes it worse. “Don’t worry about it,” she says, trying to sound sincere. “It was no big deal. I just wanted to call because I thought maybe you had slept in and I didn’t know what else you had planned for today, like if you had a class or anything, so I thought I would call to wake you up, you know, in case you needed to be up.” Sydney realizes that she’s rambling, so she shuts up while she’s ahead. “That was thoughtful of you, thanks. Hey, let’s run tomorrow, okay? I’ll show up, I promise.” “Um, you know, I can’t tomorrow, I’ve got plans with Anne,” she lies. She doesn’t think she can face him now, feeling the way she does and knowing he’s involved with someone. How could she have ever fooled herself into thinking that he might have been interested? “Okay, well what about Saturday?” he asks, sounding like he really wants to make it up to her. “We’ll probably be busy all weekend,” she says, hoping he’ll stop there. “Monday then.” “I don’t think so, Michael,” she says, this time failing to keep her voice steady. She’s ashamed that she’s crying, but she can’t help it. She just wants to get off the phone. “I’ve got to go, okay?” “Syd, no wait!” he says quickly, trying to catch her before she hangs up. “What’s the matter?” “I… nothing… I have to go. Bye.” She hangs up the phone before he can say anything else. A sob shakes her body and she covers her mouth with her hand, trying to muffle the sound. She sits down on a nearby park bench and lets herself cry, thankful for the lack of students in the vicinity. Sydney tries to pull herself together. Anne will be wondering where she is, and she doesn’t want her to see her like this. If she does, she will feel vindicated in her concerns, and not in a good way. Sydney feels incredibly stupid. He’s never showed any signs of being interested in her, not really. He’s a nice person, and he was friendly to her. She hungrily accepted his overtures of friendship and her heart morphed them into something more. All the while, telling Anne and herself that she wouldn’t get hurt, that she didn’t expect anything. Lies. Taking a deep breath, Sydney rises from the bench. The tears have dried and she feels somewhat composed. She knows the tears will most likely make a reappearance when she’s got time to herself in a private place, but for now she’s put on the mask that she’s learned to perfect through years of emotional detachment with her dad. Calm. Cool. Collected. Chapter 7 It has been five days since Sydney last saw Michael. She tried not to think about him all weekend, with little success. She’s been keeping herself pretty busy with Anne. They went into San Francisco on Saturday, spent the night in a hotel and came back last night. They had a great time. They did touristy things like going to Pier 39 and taking a Bay cruise. Now it’s Monday morning and Sydney is feeling the effects of not running in a few days. She feels sluggish, so she decides to go back to the track. It’s a quarter after eight when she leaves Anne’s office and starts in the direction of Cobb Track. She decided to go later than normal to be sure not to run into Michael. Of course, part of her wants nothing more than to see him, but she’s just started to feel better and doesn’t want to revert to the way she was feeling after she called him on Thursday morning. Anne somehow saw right through Sydney’s façade when she reached her office that day. She immediately asked Sydney what had happened and Sydney crumbled sobbing into her arms. That’s when Anne decided that a weekend in The City was just what was needed. Anne was really great. She was very comforting and she didn’t say “I told you so.” Sydney reaches the track and she doesn’t know why she’s surprised, but she is. Of course he’s there. Just her luck. “Syd!” he says as he spots her. He jogs over to her. “Hey, how’s it going?” “Uh, okay…” she manages to sputter out. She is taken aback by seeing him. “I didn’t know if you were going to show up today, I’ve been checking on and off since seven,” he tells her. “Why?” she asks, shocked. “I’ve been worried about you. You were so upset on the phone Thursday morning.” “Oh that,” she says and shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it.” “Syd,” he says, putting his hand on her shoulder, “was it because Danielle answered the phone?” “No,” she says, looking away from him so that he can’t tell she’s lying. She looks back at him and he’s looking at her with a concerned expression on his face. “I don’t know.” She sits down in the bleachers, looking down at the ground. He sits down next to her and lets out a long sigh. “Sydney,” he says, using the long form of her name for the first time since they started to get to know each other, “I don’t know what to say. You’re really sweet, and you’re smart and you’re pretty…” She looks up at him with glassy eyes, tears threatening to fall at any moment. “But I’m fourteen,” she says, one tear breaking loose. “But you’re fourteen,” he agrees, nodding his head. “I know. I’m being stupid, I’m sorry,” she says, wiping the wet stream from her face. “You’re not being stupid,” he says, putting his arm around her shoulders. “If it makes a difference, Danielle and I… I’m not in a relationship with her. We’re just… I don’t know.” “You just sleep together?” Sydney asks, a little surprised that Michael would be involved in that kind of a relationship. “Well, when you put it that way it sounds kind of harsh,” Michael says. “That’s not exactly it. I don’t know Syd, these things just kind of happen sometimes. I hate to say this to you, but it really is one of those things that you’ll understand when you’re older.” “Maybe,” she says, not so sure. “Look, I just wanted to let you know that…” Michael struggles for his words, “if you were a few years older, things would definitely be different.” She looks at him and shrugs her shoulders, his arm still lying on top of them. “I can’t do anything about that.” “I know. But Syd, I’d really like to be your friend,” he says, taking his arm off her shoulders. “I’ve had more intelligent conversations with you than some of the people who go here.” He gestures around the campus. Sydney smiles at his compliment and stands up. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I came here to run,” she says, stretching out her legs. “I know you’re old and all, but do try to keep up with me.” She sprints away. “Oh, you’re gonna get it,” he says, jumping up and running after her. He catches up with her and tries to pass her, but she grins and puts on the heat. They go back and forth, one trying to pass the other, both grinning but both determined. As they pull around the last bend before their starting point, Sydney pulls slightly in front. “Victory,” she yells, her hands in the air as she slows down. “Oh, you thought this was a one lap race?” Michael asks, flying by her. “You cheater!” she accuses as she pumps her legs to catch up with him. He just grins at her when she does. “Fine, when are we stopping then?” “After this lap,” he says. “Deal.” The don’t talk anymore, both pushing themselves and out of breath. When they come around the last bend, Michael is in the lead, but Sydney gives just a little more and pulls out in front. She crosses the line just in front of him. They slow down and catch their breath. “Can I do my victory dance now?” she asks him, smiling. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he says, smiling back. “Laugh it up, but you will only get faster and it’s all downhill from here for me.” “Oh, yeah, because at twenty you’re ready to cash that Social Security check!” she says, rolling her eyes. “Are you twenty or twenty-one?” “Twenty. I’ll be twenty-one in November.” “Yeah, you’re right, it is all downhill now,” she teases. “That’s it,” he says, catching her around the waist and spinning her around. “Put me down!” she says, trying to stifle the giggles. He puts her down and they are standing very close, his hands resting on her waist and hers on his chest. Their smiles melt away and the air is filled with tension. Sydney fights hard to control her breathing. She knows this is a bad idea and she wants to move away but can’t. Michael seems to be having the same internal fight. He slowly bends down toward her and she closes her eyes. She has neither the ability nor the desire to stop this kiss. His lips gently touch hers and she feels like an electrical current is running through her body. She feels his tongue brush against her lips and she opens her mouth, allowing it entrance. The kiss is gentle and tentative, and when it ends they stand with their foreheads touching. Sydney opens her eyes to look at Michael and sees that he has his closed, a look of anguish on his face. She gently pulls away from him and sits down on the bleachers. He sits down next to her. “Syd,” he says quietly. “Don’t…” Sydney says, “Don’t worry about it. I know it shouldn’t have happened.” “I’m sorry. I’m such an ass. I don’t want to confuse you,” he says, rubbing his forehead. “You didn’t. Look, it just happened. I know it can’t happen again, but I’m not sorry. It was nice,” she says, smiling at him. He smiles back at her. They sit in amazingly comfortable silence for a few minutes before Michael hesitantly breaks it. “Are you coming to Modern Lit today?” he asks. “I don’t think so,” she says. “Well I have to, so I’d better get going if I want to shower before it starts. Are you sure we’re okay, Syd?” he asks earnestly. She nods her head and smiles. And she really is sure. She has no regrets about the kiss they shared. Now she doesn’t have to wonder what it would be like. And it’s nice to know that he would be with her if he could, it makes her feel better than if he didn’t think of her that way at all. “Okay,” Michael says, standing up. “Meet me here tomorrow at seven?” “Yeah,” she says, nodding. “See you then,” he says, starting to walk away. “Oh and Michael,” she calls after him, causing him to turn around, “thank you for my first kiss.” Chapter 8 Sydney is curled up on Anne’s sofa, reading a book. Anne is in the kitchen making dinner. “Sydney, why don’t you put on some music?” Anne calls from the kitchen. “Okay,” Sydney yells back, getting up and walking over to the stereo. She browses through Anne’s tape collection. It’s classic rock, mostly, and Sydney isn’t familiar with most of the bands. She sees a tape labeled “John Cougar” and pulls it out. “Isn’t it John Cougar Mellencamp?” she mumbles to herself. She looks over the song list and recognizes the first couple of songs. She slides the tape out of its case and pops it in the stereo. The first song begins to play and she goes back to her position on the sofa. She’s half listening to the lyrics when the chorus begins and she starts singing along. “Hurt so good. Come on baby, make it hurt so good. Sometimes love don't feel like it should. You make it hurt so good.” Everything these days makes Sydney think of Michael, and this song is no exception. She knows the song can be taken so many ways, but right now she feels like it sums up the way she’s feeling. It hurts to be around him but it feels so damn good. Sometimes love don’t feel like it should. It doesn’t help that John Cougar Mellencamp, or John Cougar, or whatever the hell his name is, is singing about a young girl who’s “not as green as she is young.” Sydney blushes a little as she remembers the kiss she shared with Michael this morning. Her emotions are so mixed when she thinks about it. She still doesn’t regret it. She will always remember her first kiss as being sweet, tender, and absolutely wonderful. And seriously, Michael is a major babe. The downside, of course, is that she’ll have to be satisfied with the memory, because it won’t be happening again. She’s worried that the next time she sees him, all she’ll want to do is be kissed by him. Anne walks into the living room and sits down next to Sydney on the sofa. “Good choice,” she says, nodding toward the stereo. “Dinner’s in the oven and it will be ready in an hour.” ”Great,” Sydney says. “Sydney, did you see Michael at the track this morning?” Anne asks, something obviously weighing on her mind. “Yeah, he was there when I showed up. We talked and ran together, and everything is okay. I’m fine with everything,” Sydney tells her. She’s lying by omission, and she hates that. But she knows that if she tells Anne about Michael kissing her, she won’t be allowed to see him again. “It’s just that Michael was acting a little strange in class today. I said hello to him when he walked in and while he said hello back, it seemed as if he could barely look at me. Are you sure he didn’t say or do anything to upset you?” “No!” Sydney says a little too urgently. “Michael has never done anything to upset me, it was all me before, and I’m okay now. Really. Please don’t worry, Anne.” “Okay,” Anne says, nodding. Sydney can see that she’s not completely convinced. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, Sydney.” ”I know. And I know I said that I wouldn’t let myself get hurt, and then I did. But that was just me being stupid, having unrealistic expectations. Michael and I have become friends, and I’m trying to be satisfied with that. I know that you could stop me from seeing him during the rest of my time here, but… honestly that would make me more unhappy than anything else.” “I understand, Sydney. I’m not that old that I can’t remember being your age,” Anne says with a smile. “I had crushes. I still do, if you want to know the absolute truth.” “Anne!” Sydney says, grinning. “It’s true! There’s a new professor in my department, actually, who I have a bit of a crush on.” “So why don’t you do something about it?” Sydney asks excitedly. “Because I have the exact opposite problem than you, he’s quite a bit younger than me,” Anne tells her, and it’s finally her turn to blush. “Who cares?” Sydney says emphatically. “By the time you’re an adult, what does it really matter?” “I’m thirty-nine years old, he’s in his early thirties. He wouldn’t be interested.” “Bah!” “Bah? Is that a new saying or something?” Anne asks, amused. “No, it’s my saying. You can use it though, I like to share.” Sydney says, laughing. “Bah!” says Anne. The two of them break out in serious laughter, the mood lightened. ~~ The next day, Sydney sits in the front row of Modern Lit class. She can’t believe it’s only been a week since the first time she was here, the day that she gave Michael back his watch. She idly wonders if he was ever able to get it fixed. She’ll have to ask him when he gets here. When they saw each other at the track this morning, he asked if she wanted to hang out after class. She, of course, said yes. They agreed to meet right after class, but Sydney later decided that she might as well come to the class. She doesn’t have anything better to do, so why not. Anne hasn’t arrived yet, but she had mentioned that she had an appointment right before class. She isn’t expecting to see Sydney in the class, but Sydney’s sure she won’t mind. Sydney looks in the direction of the door as the girl Michael was sitting with last week walks in. She begins to walk past Sydney and then stops. “Sydney, right?” she says. “Uh, yes,” Sydney says, taken aback. “You’re the little girl who called Michael last week,” she says in a sickeningly sugary voice. “I’m Danielle, I answered the phone.” “Oh,” Sydney says quietly. Little girl? She knows that Danielle is being malicious and she wonders why. She doesn’t know what else to say and she hopes that Danielle will just leave her alone now. “So you’re Professor Koss’ niece?” she asks. “No, a family friend,” Sydney clarifies. “Whatever. I just think it’s nice that Michael is babysitting you. He’s so sweet that way. Of course, if he gets extra credit out of it, that’s just an added bonus, right?” she asks, laughing. “I’d better take my seat. Ciao.” Sydney’s face is burning. Is that why Michael is hanging around with her? Because he’s hoping to get extra credit from Anne? She feels that familiar tingling feeling behind her eyes and she gets up and leaves before the tears start. Chapter 9 Sydney reaches the hallway and bumps into Michael. Literally. “Hey, where are you going in such a hurry?” he asks her. “I’m… I’m just… I’m going. I won’t be able to see you after class.” She starts walking away from him. She’s distraught, and she doesn’t want him to see her cry again. “Syd, what happened?” he asks, catching up to her. “Michael, are you hanging around with me to get extra credit from Anne?” she says, jutting her chin forward. “What? Are you serious?” he asks. “Where the hell did you get that idea?” “From your girlfriend,” she spits out. “Danielle,” he sighs. “Can we go sit down somewhere and talk about this?” “What about class?” “Screw it,” he says. And then slyly, “does that sound like someone who’s out for extra credit?” “No,” she says, smiling despite herself. “Come on,” he says, leading her toward a stairwell. They walk outside of the building and enter the next building over. Michael leads her to a quiet alcove with overstuffed chairs. They each sit in one. “Okay,” Michael says. “First of all, like I told you before, Danielle is not my girlfriend. When you called the other morning, she asked who you were and I told her. I guess she was jealous.” A look of disdain crosses his features. “Secondly,” he continues, “I know that I won’t get extra credit from Professor Koss for hanging around with you. If anything it’s the exact opposite. I’ve seen the looks she’s been giving me! She’s very protective of you, like a lioness with her cub or something!” Sydney smiles at his description and he smiles back. “Okay?” he asks. “Yeah,” she nods. “I’m sorry I overreacted. She was just really rude to me. She called me a little girl!” “Bitch,” Michael says, to which Sydney raises her eyebrows. “You’re the one who’s been scre…” “Alright, never mind!” Michael cuts her off. “Not anymore.” They sit back in the chairs and grin at each other. “Michael,” Sydney says seriously, “why do you want to hang around with me?” Michael grows serious as well and is quiet for a moment. “You know, I’ve been asking myself the same question. I mean, I shouldn’t really be hanging around with you, should I? Even if my intentions are completely honourable, which is in question after yesterday…” He stops and rubs his forehead, as if doing so will make his thoughts more coherent. “I know I shouldn’t have kissed you, Syd. I know it’s wrong, but it just felt so right at that moment.” “I know, it felt right to me too,” she says. He nods. “I just feel drawn to you, Syd. Like I’ve never been drawn to anyone before, ever. The fact that you’re fourteen years old and forbidden is like some sick joke. But it’s just… it’s a line we can’t cross again. I thought about this a lot last night, and I thought that I should just not see you again. I was going to tell you so at the track this morning, but instead I ended up asking you to hang out this afternoon. It’s like I can’t help myself. I can’t help wanting to be around you.” Sydney is overwhelmed. All along she’s felt as if she were alone in her feelings, but she’s not. “But Syd,” he continues, “I won’t let anything else happen. You have my word.” Sydney nods solemnly. “Okay,” she says. And then coyly, “But look me up in a few years.” She earns a huge smile from Michael with that one. “Actually,” he says, “I was hoping we could keep in touch. You know, write letters.” “I was hoping so too,” she says, suddenly feeling a little shy again. They sit there smiling at each other. “You know, my dad showed me how to fight a little bit. Nothing major, just a few self-defense moves,” Sydney says, breaking the silence. “Why are you telling me this?” Michael asks nervously. “Danielle, she doesn’t look that athletic. I bet I could take her,” she says, grinning. Michael laughs and shakes his head. “No, I know you could take her. Of course, why resort to physical violence when you could just sabotage her grades?” “Michael!” Sydney says incredulously. “Think about it, you have access to Anne’s office, her house, you could change a test score or two!” Michael says, looking serious. “What?! Michael, I would never…” she fades out as he starts cracking up. “Thank God you’re kidding! I was about to freak out!” She gives his leg a little kick. “Ow!” he says, playfully kicking her back. “Seriously though, don’t give her the satisfaction of letting her get to you, she’s not worth it.” “I know. Besides, she can be as bitchy as she wants, but I’ve got you.” Then realizing what she’s said she tries to back peddle. “I mean, I don’t have you, I just mean that we’re… that I’ve got you as a friend…” she trails off quietly, looking sheepish. “I know what you meant, don’t worry,” Michael says, smiling at her. “So, you’re leaving at the end of the week, right?” “On Sunday,” she confirms. “Well, unfortunately I leave on Friday morning. I’m going to Tahoe for the weekend with a bunch of friends. We’ve had it planned for ages,” he tells her, almost apologetically. Sydney’s heart sinks a little. She wants to see him as much as possible with him and that’s just cut their time down by two days. Today is Tuesday, so there’s only Wednesday and Thursday left. “That sounds like fun,” she says, trying not to let him see that it bothers her. “I know, it sucks that we’ve only got two more days to hang out,” Michael says, reading her thoughts despite her efforts to hide them. “That’s all right,” she says, shrugging. The mood has become melancholy, and Sydney tries to think of something to say to lighten it. Michael beats her to it. “Let’s go see a movie this afternoon,” he says. “What do you want to see?” she asks happily. “I’ve been dying to see “Batman” but I haven’t had a chance yet. Have you seen it?” “No,” she shakes her head, “but I want to.” “Awesome. Let’s go.” ~~ Sydney soaks in Anne’s tub and thinks about seeing the movie with Michael. The film was great, they both loved it. And it was great to do something fun, ending the day on an upbeat note. They said goodbye promising to meet each other at the track in the morning. For the first time since she met Michael, Sydney is honestly happy with the point they’re at in their relationship. They’re friends. They both wish circumstances were different, but they’re not. So they’re friends, and Sydney is content. Chapter 10 It’s Thursday, the last day that Sydney will be able to see Michael. Possibly forever. She tries not to think about it as she tightens the laces of her sneakers. She tries not to think about it as she gets up to start her stretches. She tries not to think about it as she sees him walking toward her across the track. “Morning,” he growls when he gets to her. “Good morning,” she says, looking at him strangely. He’s usually pretty energetic in the morning, but today he looks like he’s been hit by a truck. “What’s up with you?” “I went out last night,” he says, sitting down on the bleachers. “Oh,” Sydney says. Then she remembers last Thursday, when he overslept. “Is this a regular Wednesday night thing?” He nods. “I’ve got some Tylenol in my fanny pack if you want some,” she offers. He nods. She shakes two tablets out of the plastic vial and hands them to him. He takes them and pops them in his mouth, washing them down with a long pull from his bottle of water. “Thanks,” he says. “Syd, I don’t think I can run today.” It’s Sydney’s turn to nod. “Why don’t you go home and sleep it off a little and we’ll catch up later,” she says. She tries to hide the disappointment in her voice. This was supposed to be the last time they ran together. “Okay. I’m sorry. But we’ll definitely meet up later, okay? Actually, why don’t I pick you up at three?” “Okay, I’ll see you then.” “Bye,” he says and he walks back the way he came. Sydney tries not to let it bother her. At least she’s seeing him later, and he’s even picking her up. That means that they’re going somewhere, not just hanging out on campus like yesterday. Not that yesterday was bad. She smiles as she remembers it. They hung out almost all day, interrupted only by Michael’s having to go to class. He showed her around the campus, all his favourite haunts. Sydney runs her laps and pushes herself extra hard. Exercising always lifts her spirits, and by the time she’s done she’s feeling pretty good. Yeah, it sucks that Michael is spending most of the day sleeping off a hangover, but she’s still going to see him later. She collects her things and starts walking toward Anne’s office. Sydney is almost to her destination when she hears a high pitched voice behind her. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Lolita.” Sydney stops and turns around to face Danielle. “What did you say?” Sydney asks, emboldened with the confidence that Michael is her friend and on her side. “I know all about you and Michael,” Danielle says. “What about us, we’re friends.” “Friends. Bed buddies?” Danielle asks sweetly. Sydney just stares at her, stony faced. “I saw Michael last night at the bar. He told me why he’s been spending so much time with you. Let me give you some advice, Hon. All guys love to be the one to pop a girl’s cherry. It makes them feel all macho or something. Then they lose interest. Now that the deed is done, what’s the point?” Sydney gets angrier and angrier with every word that leaves Danielle’s mouth. “That’s a lie. You’re lying.” “Oh please, Sweetheart, Michael told me you put out.” That’s it. Something in Sydney snaps and she reaches up and slaps Danielle hard across the face. The slap is so hard that it makes Danielle reel backwards. “You little bitch!” Danielle says as she lunges for Sydney. Sydney easily sidesteps her and Danielle trips and falls on her face. Sydney stands over her. “Don’t you ever talk to me that way again,” Sydney says, teeth clenched. And then she walks away. Sydney is disappointed in herself for losing her temper, but there’s only so much she can take. She knows that Danielle was lying, Michael would never say those things about her. She may have let Danielle hurt her before, but now she knows that Danielle is just bitter that she’s lost Michael, and lashing out. The only thing Sydney is worried about is that Danielle will spread the lies she was spouting, and that the rumour will get back to Anne. Sydney will have to warn Anne before that can happen. ~~ “She said what?” Michael asks in disbelief. He was about to take a bite of his In’n’Out burger, but he puts it back down on its paper wrapping. “You heard me,” Sydney says, taking a sip of her Coke. “Syd, you know I didn’t say those things,” he says heatedly. “Would I be sitting here if I thought you did?” “What did you do?” he asks. “Uh,” Sydney says eloquently, shaking her head. Then barely managing to look him in the eye, “I slapped her.” She expects him to be disappointed in her, but instead he lets out a hoot of laughter. “Excellent! What did she do?” “She came at me, but tripped and fell when I moved out of her way,” Sydney says, a grin creeping onto her face. Michael is in hysterics now, and he’s attracting attention from people in the surrounding booths. Sydney can’t help but join him in his laughter. “Syd,” he says, calming down, “that is too perfect.” “Yeah, the only thing I was worried about was that the lies would get back to Anne. But I talked to her and she understands. She didn’t seem too surprised that Danielle would say those kind of things, but then she’s a pretty good judge of character. She was surprised that you had been involved with her though. I guess she thought you had higher standards,” she says pointedly. Michael sighs and rolls his eyes. “Look, Syd… I’m sure that you’ll find this out at some point in your life. I hope not, but I’m sure you will. Libido can make you do very stupid things.” Sydney just smiles and shakes her head. “Okay, enough about that,” he says, blushing a little. “Are you looking forward to getting back to L.A? Seeing your friends?” Sydney shakes her head. “Not in the least. First of all, I have to deal with a six hour car ride of silence with my dad. He doesn’t want to talk, he won’t let me play the music I like on the radio. It’s going to suck.” “Your dad sounds like a real fun guy, Syd.” They finish their burgers and walk to Michael’s car. Sydney isn’t sure what’s next and she’s almost afraid to ask in case he suggests bringing her home. She’s not ready to say goodbye yet, but apparently neither is he. “There’s a park that’s not far from Anne’s house,” Michael says, unlocking her door. Why don’t we go there and hang out for a bit.” Sydney nods gratefully. The park is small but pretty. They find a spot under a tree and Michael spreads a blanket that he had in the trunk of his car. “What are you doing with a blanket in your car?” Sydney asks him. “It’s part of my safety kit,” he explains. She’s still looking at him oddly. “You know, for warmth!” “Does it ever get cold enough in Palo Alto to need that?” she teases. “Hey, you never know when you’re going to need it,” he says. “Aren’t you glad I have it now?” “Yes,” she says, sitting down and leaning against the tree. Michael sits down across from her. “I’m really glad I met you, Sydney,” Michael says seriously. “It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.” Sydney smiles and looks down, nodding. “They have been. I’m glad I met you too.” “You’d better write to me first,” he says, “I’m a better letter-writer if I’ve got something to respond to.” Sydney agrees and they exchange addresses, and it’s the last they talk about the fact that they won’t be seeing each other after today. They talk of anything else instead. Michael tells her about the classes he’s planning to take in the fall. Sydney tells him about thinking about joining the drama club. They sit there until the sun starts to go down and Sydney knows she had better get back to Anne’s. She tells Michael so and he says that he’ll drop her off. “It’s okay,” she says, “I can walk from here.” “Are you sure? Why?” he asks. “Yeah, I’d just rather say goodbye to you here.” Michael nods in understanding. “Okay,” he says. He gathers up his blanket and throws it over his arm. They both stand there, looking at each other, neither wanting to say goodbye. “Well, goodbye Michael,” Sydney says, taking the first step. “Bye Syd,” he says. And then he pulls her into a hug. Sydney wraps her arms around his neck and tries not to cry. She leans her head on his collarbone and then pulls away. “Keep in touch,” he says. And then lifting her chin, he gives her a chaste kiss on the lips. Sydney feels a hot tear slide down her cheek. He lets go of her face and turns and walks away. “Bye,” Sydney whispers after him. Unable to watch as her
first love walks out of her life, she turns in the direction of Anne’s
house and starts walking.
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