SkyGirl5
Cadet
Chapter 11
-November, 1997-
“So, did you decide what movie we’re going to?” Michael asked as they were driving to the theater. It had been three weeks since the dance and her subsequent humiliation in the cafeteria and things were going well for them, relatively. Between them, things were great; it was just with everyone else in their school where the problems came in.
First, there was Nadia mocking Sydney endlessly, though she could handle that, or at least, tolerate it. Second, there was the fact that everyone in her art classes, who used to speak with her, or at least accept her as a non-heinous human being, now sneered at her daily and refused to come within ten feet of her. Not that this was a major loss, of course, they weren’t best friends for life or anything. Third, and worst of all, there were Michael’s friends, who never missed an opportunity to laugh at the paint splotches on her jeans or the plain, drab appearance of her hair. Michael tried to defend them and keep them off her back as best he could, but it didn’t always work. Other than that, though, Sydney was shocked to find she actually liked having a boyfriend and that that boyfriend was Michael.
That evening was their second real date, well, third including the dance. Their first (or second) date had been the previous week when Michael took Sydney out to get ice cream on Saturday afternoon. Because the play’s final productions were only a week away, he didn’t have much free time due to the twenty-four-seven practicing he was doing, but he had managed to make time on Friday night to take her to the movies.
“Uh I dunno, are there any gory-murdery movies out?” Sydney asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. Michael glanced over at her, horrified, and she burst out giggling. “Kidding.”
“Jeez, you scared me,” he laughed.
“Sorry, I’m afraid in that respect I am just like every other girl – I love romantic comedies,” she told him.
“Believe it or not, I’d actually prefer that,” he told her seriously. She laughed softly. “Anyway, whatever it is, can it just be semi-short please? I’d like to run through my lines before I go to bed.”
“Michael, you’ve got your lines down cold. Hell, I even know some of them,” she told him. It was true, she had read the book recently for her English class and then after attending Michael’s play practice twice she had a few of Willy’s speeches drilled into her brain.
“I know, I know, I’d just like to be prepared for tomorrow’s dress rehearsal,” he said.
“You will be,” Sydney assured him.
They decided on a sappy romantic comedy, and, although it wasn’t his favorite movie, Michael chose it as a favorable alternative over the horror flick he thought Sydney wanted to see for one horrifying moment. Halfway though the movie, Sydney began to regret her decision. She could tell already that it was going to be a tear-jerker and the last thing she wanted to do was burst into tears with Michael, her new boyfriend, sitting beside her.
She could tell when the tear-jerking part was coming so she slipped her hand out of his, grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and held it tightly over her face to muffle her sobs and catch as many tears as she could. In her slightly delusional mind, Sydney was convinced that Michael couldn’t tell any of this was happening, however she was wrong.
The second her hand left his, Michael glanced over to her and did a double take when he saw her using her sleeve to cover her face. At first, he thought she was about to sneeze, but then he realized she was crying. It didn’t surprise him; his mother was practically a waterfall at scenes like the one playing on the screen in front of them. So, just like his father always did, Michael put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a soft squeeze.
Sydney was slightly surprised by this, but she didn’t pull away. She did, however, apologize quietly as they were making their way towards the exit a few minutes later, when the movie was over. “’sokay,” he said. “I almost cried myself.” This comment earned him a hard jab in the ribs by Sydney’s elbow.
“Don’t mock me,” she said harshly.
“I would never,” he grinned. She grabbed his hand and tugged on it lightly as they walked to the car. Once seated inside, Michael leaned in, but she pulled back.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m kissing you goodnight here so that we don’t do it at your house where your sister makes faces at us through the window,” he said very seriously.
Sydney laughed, recalling that horrible event, which resulted in her chasing her sister around the second floor trying to smother her with a pillow. “Okay, good plan,” she said finally, leaning back in. He gently touched her face as their lips pressed together.
When Michael opened his lips, Sydney panicked, having no idea what to do. She tried to follow his lead as best she could until the unthinkable happened – she bit him. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I am SO sorry,” she said, pulling back and wishing for death. Michael laughed and Sydney wasn’t sure whether to be horrified by it or relieved.
“It’s okay, really,” he said.
“No, no it’s not,” she shook her head furiously, covering her face with her hands.
He gently pried her hands away. “Sydney, it’s oh-kay, really. I’m not injured, I promise.”
She looked over at him cautiously. “Really?”
He laughed softly and kissed her again briefly. “Really.”
~*~
On Death of a Salesman’s opening night, Sydney was there prepared, not with flowers, but with a bouquet full of Twizzlers, Michael’s favorite candy. She insisted on sitting in the very front row, dead center, ready to cheer him on. She brought her parents, but because of the short supply of seats in the front row, they couldn’t sit with her. She was stuck sitting beside two girls she didn’t know at all, but who obviously knew her through her reputation as Michael’s girlfriend. They spent the whole time before the play whispering about her, which Sydney tried desperately to ignore.
When the lights dimmed, Sydney slid onto the edge of her seat, practically dying for it to start already. The whole show, she was practically holding her breath, hoping he’d nail every line and act it out perfectly. She had to admit, though, that tall, good looking, perfect smiling Michael wasn’t exactly the ‘Willy Loman’ type, but he made it work nonetheless.
At the end of the show, Sydney was the first one on her feet, clapping so furiously that she nearly dropped the Twizzlers. During the curtain call, many of the female audience members ‘whooped’ at the sound of Michael’s name and Sydney surprised herself with her reaction. Instead of slinking back into the shadows, she stepped forward with a proud ‘yeah, that my boyfriend look’, walked straight up to the stage and hugged him tightly.
“Hey you,” he laughed softly into her ear.
“You were awesome,” she said, smiling. “Oh and here are these.”
He took the Twizzler bouquet from her with a laugh. “Thanks. This is much better than flowers.”
-November, 1997-
“So, did you decide what movie we’re going to?” Michael asked as they were driving to the theater. It had been three weeks since the dance and her subsequent humiliation in the cafeteria and things were going well for them, relatively. Between them, things were great; it was just with everyone else in their school where the problems came in.
First, there was Nadia mocking Sydney endlessly, though she could handle that, or at least, tolerate it. Second, there was the fact that everyone in her art classes, who used to speak with her, or at least accept her as a non-heinous human being, now sneered at her daily and refused to come within ten feet of her. Not that this was a major loss, of course, they weren’t best friends for life or anything. Third, and worst of all, there were Michael’s friends, who never missed an opportunity to laugh at the paint splotches on her jeans or the plain, drab appearance of her hair. Michael tried to defend them and keep them off her back as best he could, but it didn’t always work. Other than that, though, Sydney was shocked to find she actually liked having a boyfriend and that that boyfriend was Michael.
That evening was their second real date, well, third including the dance. Their first (or second) date had been the previous week when Michael took Sydney out to get ice cream on Saturday afternoon. Because the play’s final productions were only a week away, he didn’t have much free time due to the twenty-four-seven practicing he was doing, but he had managed to make time on Friday night to take her to the movies.
“Uh I dunno, are there any gory-murdery movies out?” Sydney asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. Michael glanced over at her, horrified, and she burst out giggling. “Kidding.”
“Jeez, you scared me,” he laughed.
“Sorry, I’m afraid in that respect I am just like every other girl – I love romantic comedies,” she told him.
“Believe it or not, I’d actually prefer that,” he told her seriously. She laughed softly. “Anyway, whatever it is, can it just be semi-short please? I’d like to run through my lines before I go to bed.”
“Michael, you’ve got your lines down cold. Hell, I even know some of them,” she told him. It was true, she had read the book recently for her English class and then after attending Michael’s play practice twice she had a few of Willy’s speeches drilled into her brain.
“I know, I know, I’d just like to be prepared for tomorrow’s dress rehearsal,” he said.
“You will be,” Sydney assured him.
They decided on a sappy romantic comedy, and, although it wasn’t his favorite movie, Michael chose it as a favorable alternative over the horror flick he thought Sydney wanted to see for one horrifying moment. Halfway though the movie, Sydney began to regret her decision. She could tell already that it was going to be a tear-jerker and the last thing she wanted to do was burst into tears with Michael, her new boyfriend, sitting beside her.
She could tell when the tear-jerking part was coming so she slipped her hand out of his, grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and held it tightly over her face to muffle her sobs and catch as many tears as she could. In her slightly delusional mind, Sydney was convinced that Michael couldn’t tell any of this was happening, however she was wrong.
The second her hand left his, Michael glanced over to her and did a double take when he saw her using her sleeve to cover her face. At first, he thought she was about to sneeze, but then he realized she was crying. It didn’t surprise him; his mother was practically a waterfall at scenes like the one playing on the screen in front of them. So, just like his father always did, Michael put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a soft squeeze.
Sydney was slightly surprised by this, but she didn’t pull away. She did, however, apologize quietly as they were making their way towards the exit a few minutes later, when the movie was over. “’sokay,” he said. “I almost cried myself.” This comment earned him a hard jab in the ribs by Sydney’s elbow.
“Don’t mock me,” she said harshly.
“I would never,” he grinned. She grabbed his hand and tugged on it lightly as they walked to the car. Once seated inside, Michael leaned in, but she pulled back.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m kissing you goodnight here so that we don’t do it at your house where your sister makes faces at us through the window,” he said very seriously.
Sydney laughed, recalling that horrible event, which resulted in her chasing her sister around the second floor trying to smother her with a pillow. “Okay, good plan,” she said finally, leaning back in. He gently touched her face as their lips pressed together.
When Michael opened his lips, Sydney panicked, having no idea what to do. She tried to follow his lead as best she could until the unthinkable happened – she bit him. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I am SO sorry,” she said, pulling back and wishing for death. Michael laughed and Sydney wasn’t sure whether to be horrified by it or relieved.
“It’s okay, really,” he said.
“No, no it’s not,” she shook her head furiously, covering her face with her hands.
He gently pried her hands away. “Sydney, it’s oh-kay, really. I’m not injured, I promise.”
She looked over at him cautiously. “Really?”
He laughed softly and kissed her again briefly. “Really.”
~*~
On Death of a Salesman’s opening night, Sydney was there prepared, not with flowers, but with a bouquet full of Twizzlers, Michael’s favorite candy. She insisted on sitting in the very front row, dead center, ready to cheer him on. She brought her parents, but because of the short supply of seats in the front row, they couldn’t sit with her. She was stuck sitting beside two girls she didn’t know at all, but who obviously knew her through her reputation as Michael’s girlfriend. They spent the whole time before the play whispering about her, which Sydney tried desperately to ignore.
When the lights dimmed, Sydney slid onto the edge of her seat, practically dying for it to start already. The whole show, she was practically holding her breath, hoping he’d nail every line and act it out perfectly. She had to admit, though, that tall, good looking, perfect smiling Michael wasn’t exactly the ‘Willy Loman’ type, but he made it work nonetheless.
At the end of the show, Sydney was the first one on her feet, clapping so furiously that she nearly dropped the Twizzlers. During the curtain call, many of the female audience members ‘whooped’ at the sound of Michael’s name and Sydney surprised herself with her reaction. Instead of slinking back into the shadows, she stepped forward with a proud ‘yeah, that my boyfriend look’, walked straight up to the stage and hugged him tightly.
“Hey you,” he laughed softly into her ear.
“You were awesome,” she said, smiling. “Oh and here are these.”
He took the Twizzler bouquet from her with a laugh. “Thanks. This is much better than flowers.”
they're so disney and adoarble 
