I'm going to update again sometime next week. The studying for exams and final projects is kind of getting in the way of writing my fics.
Chapter 3
I waited out on the front steps of the school for fifteen minutes before Michael arrived. “Hey,” I greeted him with a smile, “How was Adam today?” I joked.
He frowned at me, “He cried all through my math class and the teacher asked me to leave,” he said with a bit of a laugh, “I think I’m in real need of a lesson on how to hold a baby.”
“Yeah, I think you are,” I said as I observed him holding the baby without properly supporting the head, “Well, I guess we should go…” I motioned for us to leave.
“Right,” we started walking down the street, Adam in my arms sleeping (I think… it’s a robot, so I’m never sure) peacefully, “You live just around the corner, right?” he asked.
“Um… yeah, I have since I was born, why?”
“I’ve never been in your house before… wait… yes, I have. Before my dad died, and your mom died, your mom invited us over when we just moved here from France.”
“Seriously? I don’t remember that at all,” I said, scraping through the memories in my head trying to find that one.
“Well, that makes sense, you were only five when it happened. And that’s all I remember… and I don’t even know why I remember that much.”
“Well, it’s not like I forgot us being best friends or something,” I sighed.
“That’s a girl,” he said sarcastically.
“What?” I asked.
“I don’t ignore you purposely, you know,” he said out of nowhere, completely taking me by surprise.
“So, now you admit that you ignore me?” I sped up my walk slightly and he dropped behind me a bit.
“Yes, I do admit it. I know it’s not right, it’s completely wrong. I don’t know why, but I do.”
We arrived in front of my house and I opened the door and invited him in. “This is my house,” I said blankly. What he had just said hurt me, and the last thing I wanted to do now was show that to him. So, as usual, I put up a wall, letting no emotion in or out.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “I didn’t mean to say that.”
I turned around quickly and said to him angrily, “You meant it though. You ignore me, and you do do it purposely. You don’t want to show your friends that you could be friends with a nerd; someone who isn’t popular. Do you know what it’s like to have no friends? I have no friends, and it’s horrible! You have no idea of what I’ve been through at that school. I can’t wait to get out of there, so I can stop being teased every day. I just want it to be over.”
“Look!” he yelled, “I’m sorry! I know that you don’t have any friends, but I don’t want to lose all of mine, too! I want to be your friend, but I can’t! Do you know what it’s like to be the centre of attention? It’s hard! I hate it, but I won’t leave it behind because it’s all I have.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel sorry for you?” I asked.
He shook his head and sighed, “Forget about it. Let’s just work on the assignment.”
“Fine,” I scoffed.
He reached out for the baby and it instantly began to cry loudly. “Here,” I suggested, moving his arms around to show him how to properly hold it.
Soon the baby stopped crying. Michael smiled, “I did it!” he said excitedly.
“Yeah, you did.”
“I really am sorry,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it.” We lapsed into an awkward silence again and he cleared his throat to break it.
“I should probably go, I have homework to do for tomorrow,” he said quickly.
I just nodded at him and regarded the baby in his arms, “Sydney?” I heard two young voices call from the front door.
Michael’s head turned at the intrusion of our uncomfortable silence, “Who’s that?” he asked me.
Before I could answer, two young children ran into the room and grasped onto my legs, hugging me tightly, “Hey guys,” I said cheerfully to them. Truthfully, I was glad for the interruption; the awkward silences and theme for Michael’s visit was getting to be too much. “You two have to meet Michael. We’re doing a project together, so you’ll see him again some time, alright?” I turned to Michael, “Michael, these are my housekeeper’s little rascals Jaime and Cassandra. I told you before, I look after them sometimes, remember?”
He nodded in remembrance, “Yeah, it’s nice to meet you guys,” he said nicely. I could tell he was uncomfortable, he wasn’t smiling the way he usually does.
Whoa, where did that come from?
“Um, you can go if you want,” I offered. He nodded his head and smiled at me, this time it reached his eyes. Like he usually does, I mused.
“I think I’ll go then,” he said, “Take care of little Adam there,” he gestured to the baby lying on the floor on a few pillows, “And I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sydie, is that your boyfriend?” Cassandra giggled.
I blushed, noticing that Michael probably heard that, so I answered before I heard the door shut, “No, he’s not my boyfriend.” I heard the door close slowly and quietly before they asked me their next question.
“Do you like him?” Cassie asked me.
“C, Michael and I are doing a project for school together, we’re not interested in dating each other.”
“Oh,” she whispered, “I think he liked you,” she said with a smile.
“No,” I laughed, “He’s just being civil.”
“What’s civil mean?” Jaime asked me, showing the gap in his two front teeth that had fallen out the previous week.
“Civil means nice, or kind.”
“Oh,” he said, placing the word into his mind to use in the future, “So, Cassie isn’t civil to me?”
“You silly little boy,” I said with a smile. I began tickling them mercilessly, both of them begging for her to stop through their giggles.
“Sydie, do you have a boyfriend?” Cassie asked me innocently.
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “I don’t have a boyfriend, why? Do you?” I teased.
Much to my surprise, she nodded, “His name is Johhny. But we’re not boyfriend girlfriend, we’re married!” she said excitedly. She lifted up her hand and showed me the ring on her finger. It was drawn on with pen. “He kissed me and everything, so we’re married.”
“Oh, well congratulations!” I said, holding in my laugh at the child’s innocence. Sadly, in a few years she would lose that innocence and everything would change. “Now, you two, I have a lot of homework to do…” I said but then baby Adam began to wail.
“You have a baby?” Jaime laughed.
“Yeah, don’t you need a boyfriend for that?” Cassie giggled.
“No,” I laughed, “It’s not a real baby, it’s a doll that cries and needs to be ‘fed’; it’s for a school project.”
“Oh, so you’re not a mommy?” Jaime asked.
“No, I’m not a mommy.” I replied. I took Adam in my arms and walked upstairs to do my other homework.
************************************************************
