farliieansds225
Cadet
awww he stood up for her!!!
theyre so cute
awesome update
loved it
cant wait for more!
theyre so cute
awesome update
loved it
cant wait for more!
In With the A Crowd
- Thread starter SkyGirl5
- Start date
aprilsfool6
Cadet
Yesterday's chapter was just 
and :lovely:, let me just say that since I just read it today. Absolutely and :lovely:...
I'm glad that Vaughn there to support Sydney throught this tough ordeal.
Great chapters! Can't wait to see what happens next.
and :lovely:, let me just say that since I just read it today. Absolutely and :lovely:... I'm glad that Vaughn there to support Sydney throught this tough ordeal.
Great chapters! Can't wait to see what happens next.
SkyGirl5
Cadet
Chapter 6
For the first half of October, things for Sydney were a little bit better than they had been in September. She managed to befriend a girl in her Pre-Calculus class who was only in the tenth grade. This girl was obviously smart since she was in a higher level math class at such a young age, plus she was a little bit on the nerdy side and Sydney could tell she did not have a massive amount of friends. While this friendship gave her someone to talk to, which was a plus, it did not solve the dilemma she had regarding her writing assignment, which was practically non-existent. She still had time, though, or so she tried to tell herself.
The other major improvement in her life at McMillan was her budding friendship with her English teacher, Mr. Vaughn. More and more she found herself spending study hall in Mr. Vaughn’s empty classroom as the two of them discussed books they were reading currently or had read in the past. Sometimes their conversation would even delve into more personal topics, which Sydney had to be very careful about, not wanting to accidentally give herself away.
Despite the fact that she had to be on edge, constantly reminding herself that she was supposed to be a seventeen year old girl, Sydney thoroughly enjoyed her conversations with Mr. Vaughn and felt he was enjoying them as well. This, of course, caused a rather large problem for her since she was beginning to develop actual feelings for the man who was supposed to be her educator.
At first, Sydney’s attraction to her English teacher was merely physical. He was one of the most gorgeous people she had ever seen in her entire life so of course she was going to be attracted to him in the physical sense, but that did not concern her very much; after all, it meant nothing. As she got to know him a bit better, though, she realized they actually had a lot in common with their literature preferences and other similarities. After finding this out, she realized she was actually attracted to him on a deeper, less purely physical level.
The last time she had a boyfriend was…well, she did not like to dwell on the actual number of months; that was depressing. She dated a few fellow English majors during college, but found for the most part they were not really her type. It was difficult for her to meet people with other majors due to busy class schedules, so she was essentially dateless for most of her school career. She hoped that would change once she was out in the workplace, but it appeared people were not as interested in interoffice dating as they were in interoffice sleeping together with no strings attached, which was definitely not her thing.
To make her situation even more pathetic, Sydney could not even act on her attraction to her teacher. For starters he was way out of her league; there was no way someone as attractive as him would be interested in a self-proclaimed dork like her. Besides, even if that barrier wasn’t in their way, there was still the fact that as far as he knew, she was a seventeen year old student of his and thus he would never be attracted to her, so once again she was screwed.
As Sydney tried to suppress her ever-growing feelings for her English teacher, the rest of the school prepared for the big homecoming week celebration complete with a carnival on Friday night during and after the football game and a dance on Saturday night. For a while, Sydney considered going to the dance since the last dance she went to was prom, but then decided against it, not wanting the added humiliation of standing along the wall like an idiot while everyone around her had a nice time. She did, however, decide to go to the carnival.
The townhouse in which Sydney lived was located just a block and a half away from an oversized abandoned parking lot adjacent to the high school in which the carnival was being held. Sydney had no interest in the football game not being a fan of the sport, so she did not have to leave her house until around eight o’clock, as the game was drawing to a close.
Knowing the parking situation would be an utter nightmare, Sydney decided to walk. The streets were well lit and crime in that town was very low. Plus, it was a rather warm, perfect fall evening, so there was no reason not to enjoy it.
When she arrived at the carnival it was already packed. She began walking past the different fund raising booths, bought herself some cotton candy and munched on it while she strolled. While focusing on a little girl amazed by a balloon animal given to her, Sydney was not paying attention to where she was going and ran smack into someone. That someone just happened to be her English teacher.
“Oh Mr. Vaughn I’m so sorry; I wasn’t paying attention,” she apologized quickly.
“It’s perfectly alright,” he assured her. “Are you enjoying your evening here?”
“Oh well I just got here,” she laughed softly. “You’re not running any of the fundraising booths, are you?”
“No, not this year. Last year I made the mistake of participating in the pie throwing booth – I was the target,” he said sadly.
Sydney couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m sorry I missed that. You would have looked very amusing covered in white cream.”
“Thanks,” he rolled his eyes slightly. Then, he wished her a good evening before making his way through the crowds once more.
For the most part, Sydney’s evening at the carnival went rather well. She played a few games and even won a prize on one of them. It seemed as though she was going to escape the evening without even running into the crew of her classmates who enjoyed making her life miserable. That was until the stopped to put some change back into her purse after purchasing a little trinket from a fundraising booth.
She was just standing there, cramming two dollar bills down into her wallet, when something smacked into the back of her head. Surprised, she reached her hand back and felt something unpleasantly sticky. Turning around, expecting to see a young boy, she saw instead four laughing boys and three giggling girls her own age, all pointing at her.
She turned her back on them once more, purposely ignoring them as she finished zipping her purse back together. It was then she felt something else come in contact with her arm. Looking to where it fell to the ground she saw that it was a piece of a hot dog with smeared mustard on it; they were throwing food at her.
Realizing it would not cease until she removed herself from the situation, Sydney hurried past the group of laughing idiots, or tried to anyway. Before she could get past them, though, they jumped in her path and began taunting her. They were all talking at once so Sydney could not hear specific insults, but she basically got the drift. After all, with all the food being pelted at her she knew they were not saying anything good.
Fearing she was about to cry at any moment, she pushed past them as hard as she could before breaking out into a run. She did not care where she ran to; she just had to get away. By the time she had to stop due to lack of oxygen, she was in the parking lot. She crouched down in between two cars and sat on the edge of a curb, dropping her head in between her knees as she tried to breathe deeply.
Much to her surprise, after just a minute of sitting there, she felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder. She jumped, nearly slamming her head into a car bumper in the process and turned around only to see her English teacher with a look of genuine concern. Realizing it was not anyone wielding a bottle of ketchup to finish her off Sydney put her head back in her head back down in between her knees. “I’ll be okay,” she said softly, not wanting him to feel obligated to stay.
“I saw what happened; I’m really sorry they’re such jerks. If I could, I’d give them all detention and a twenty page English paper,” he told her softly, giving no indication he was going to leave.
Sydney laughed softly at this; strangely enough it made her feel the tiniest bit better.
“I’m really sorry Sydney,” Mr. Vaughn said, rubbing her arm in a caring manner.
“I’ll be okay,” she whispered. “I’m just gonna…go.”
“Okay, I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.
“No, I walked here…it’s just a block,” she informed him as she stood slowly, wiping her cheeks try.
“Then I’ll walk you home,” he smiled at her. “Someone’s gotta explain to your parents why you have mustard all over your back.”
While she appreciated this gesture, she shook her head, refusing it. “No you don’t have to; I’ll be okay.”
“But I want to make sure you get home alright. C’mon,” he encouraged. Not really in the mood to argue, Sydney nodded softly and led the way towards her house.
For the first half of October, things for Sydney were a little bit better than they had been in September. She managed to befriend a girl in her Pre-Calculus class who was only in the tenth grade. This girl was obviously smart since she was in a higher level math class at such a young age, plus she was a little bit on the nerdy side and Sydney could tell she did not have a massive amount of friends. While this friendship gave her someone to talk to, which was a plus, it did not solve the dilemma she had regarding her writing assignment, which was practically non-existent. She still had time, though, or so she tried to tell herself.
The other major improvement in her life at McMillan was her budding friendship with her English teacher, Mr. Vaughn. More and more she found herself spending study hall in Mr. Vaughn’s empty classroom as the two of them discussed books they were reading currently or had read in the past. Sometimes their conversation would even delve into more personal topics, which Sydney had to be very careful about, not wanting to accidentally give herself away.
Despite the fact that she had to be on edge, constantly reminding herself that she was supposed to be a seventeen year old girl, Sydney thoroughly enjoyed her conversations with Mr. Vaughn and felt he was enjoying them as well. This, of course, caused a rather large problem for her since she was beginning to develop actual feelings for the man who was supposed to be her educator.
At first, Sydney’s attraction to her English teacher was merely physical. He was one of the most gorgeous people she had ever seen in her entire life so of course she was going to be attracted to him in the physical sense, but that did not concern her very much; after all, it meant nothing. As she got to know him a bit better, though, she realized they actually had a lot in common with their literature preferences and other similarities. After finding this out, she realized she was actually attracted to him on a deeper, less purely physical level.
The last time she had a boyfriend was…well, she did not like to dwell on the actual number of months; that was depressing. She dated a few fellow English majors during college, but found for the most part they were not really her type. It was difficult for her to meet people with other majors due to busy class schedules, so she was essentially dateless for most of her school career. She hoped that would change once she was out in the workplace, but it appeared people were not as interested in interoffice dating as they were in interoffice sleeping together with no strings attached, which was definitely not her thing.
To make her situation even more pathetic, Sydney could not even act on her attraction to her teacher. For starters he was way out of her league; there was no way someone as attractive as him would be interested in a self-proclaimed dork like her. Besides, even if that barrier wasn’t in their way, there was still the fact that as far as he knew, she was a seventeen year old student of his and thus he would never be attracted to her, so once again she was screwed.
As Sydney tried to suppress her ever-growing feelings for her English teacher, the rest of the school prepared for the big homecoming week celebration complete with a carnival on Friday night during and after the football game and a dance on Saturday night. For a while, Sydney considered going to the dance since the last dance she went to was prom, but then decided against it, not wanting the added humiliation of standing along the wall like an idiot while everyone around her had a nice time. She did, however, decide to go to the carnival.
The townhouse in which Sydney lived was located just a block and a half away from an oversized abandoned parking lot adjacent to the high school in which the carnival was being held. Sydney had no interest in the football game not being a fan of the sport, so she did not have to leave her house until around eight o’clock, as the game was drawing to a close.
Knowing the parking situation would be an utter nightmare, Sydney decided to walk. The streets were well lit and crime in that town was very low. Plus, it was a rather warm, perfect fall evening, so there was no reason not to enjoy it.
When she arrived at the carnival it was already packed. She began walking past the different fund raising booths, bought herself some cotton candy and munched on it while she strolled. While focusing on a little girl amazed by a balloon animal given to her, Sydney was not paying attention to where she was going and ran smack into someone. That someone just happened to be her English teacher.
“Oh Mr. Vaughn I’m so sorry; I wasn’t paying attention,” she apologized quickly.
“It’s perfectly alright,” he assured her. “Are you enjoying your evening here?”
“Oh well I just got here,” she laughed softly. “You’re not running any of the fundraising booths, are you?”
“No, not this year. Last year I made the mistake of participating in the pie throwing booth – I was the target,” he said sadly.
Sydney couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m sorry I missed that. You would have looked very amusing covered in white cream.”
“Thanks,” he rolled his eyes slightly. Then, he wished her a good evening before making his way through the crowds once more.
For the most part, Sydney’s evening at the carnival went rather well. She played a few games and even won a prize on one of them. It seemed as though she was going to escape the evening without even running into the crew of her classmates who enjoyed making her life miserable. That was until the stopped to put some change back into her purse after purchasing a little trinket from a fundraising booth.
She was just standing there, cramming two dollar bills down into her wallet, when something smacked into the back of her head. Surprised, she reached her hand back and felt something unpleasantly sticky. Turning around, expecting to see a young boy, she saw instead four laughing boys and three giggling girls her own age, all pointing at her.
She turned her back on them once more, purposely ignoring them as she finished zipping her purse back together. It was then she felt something else come in contact with her arm. Looking to where it fell to the ground she saw that it was a piece of a hot dog with smeared mustard on it; they were throwing food at her.
Realizing it would not cease until she removed herself from the situation, Sydney hurried past the group of laughing idiots, or tried to anyway. Before she could get past them, though, they jumped in her path and began taunting her. They were all talking at once so Sydney could not hear specific insults, but she basically got the drift. After all, with all the food being pelted at her she knew they were not saying anything good.
Fearing she was about to cry at any moment, she pushed past them as hard as she could before breaking out into a run. She did not care where she ran to; she just had to get away. By the time she had to stop due to lack of oxygen, she was in the parking lot. She crouched down in between two cars and sat on the edge of a curb, dropping her head in between her knees as she tried to breathe deeply.
Much to her surprise, after just a minute of sitting there, she felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder. She jumped, nearly slamming her head into a car bumper in the process and turned around only to see her English teacher with a look of genuine concern. Realizing it was not anyone wielding a bottle of ketchup to finish her off Sydney put her head back in her head back down in between her knees. “I’ll be okay,” she said softly, not wanting him to feel obligated to stay.
“I saw what happened; I’m really sorry they’re such jerks. If I could, I’d give them all detention and a twenty page English paper,” he told her softly, giving no indication he was going to leave.
Sydney laughed softly at this; strangely enough it made her feel the tiniest bit better.
“I’m really sorry Sydney,” Mr. Vaughn said, rubbing her arm in a caring manner.
“I’ll be okay,” she whispered. “I’m just gonna…go.”
“Okay, I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.
“No, I walked here…it’s just a block,” she informed him as she stood slowly, wiping her cheeks try.
“Then I’ll walk you home,” he smiled at her. “Someone’s gotta explain to your parents why you have mustard all over your back.”
While she appreciated this gesture, she shook her head, refusing it. “No you don’t have to; I’ll be okay.”
“But I want to make sure you get home alright. C’mon,” he encouraged. Not really in the mood to argue, Sydney nodded softly and led the way towards her house.
cookiemonster
Cadet
YAY I'm first!!!!
I'm glad Sydney found a friend!
Well, yeah... that was bound to happen Who can't resist the charms of Michael Vaughn
Of course it had to be! :lol:
Oh nooooooooooo he can't leave yet!!!!!!!!!!!!
:angry: :angry: :angry: I hate them!!!!!! Just leave her alone!!!!!!!! Maybe Mr Vaughn should consider a special work for making Sydney feel so bad!
I can't wait for them to be together... wonder how Vaughn will feel when he figures out that Sydney is just as old as he is.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm glad Sydney found a friend!
Well, yeah... that was bound to happen
Who can't resist the charms of Michael Vaughn Of course it had to be! :lol:
Oh nooooooooooo he can't leave yet!!!!!!!!!!!!
:angry: :angry: :angry: I hate them!!!!!! Just leave her alone!!!!!!!! Maybe Mr Vaughn should consider a special work for making Sydney feel so bad!
I can't wait for them to be together... wonder how Vaughn will feel when he figures out that Sydney is just as old as he is.AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spydrummer06
Cadet
He is so sweet!! He will probably be pretty hurt at first when he finds out what she is up to, but mostly his reaction will depend on how he finds out.
Great update
Great update
farliieansds225
Cadet
poor syd!!
why are people so mean sometimes??
awesome update
loved it
cant wait for more!
why are people so mean sometimes??
awesome update
loved it
cant wait for more!
texasalias2004
Cadet
Awe Poor Sydney, but once again her English teacher was their for her.
texasalias
texasalias
AliasSydney502
Cadet
"oh, i finished my english paper, would you like to come in to see it?" Sydney asked at the doorstep.
"i would love to" unsuspecting Mr. Vaughn answered. they both walked inside her house and sydney pulled them up the steps
"guess what? i'm your age!"
"no way!"
"Kiss me!"
"okie dokie!!"
hahaha omg, that totally sounds retarded but i was trying to censor my less than pg13 thoughts
"i would love to" unsuspecting Mr. Vaughn answered. they both walked inside her house and sydney pulled them up the steps
"guess what? i'm your age!"
"no way!"
"Kiss me!"
"okie dokie!!"
hahaha omg, that totally sounds retarded but i was trying to censor my less than pg13 thoughts
Totally! He'd be like "Now way! How many times have you flunked??"
Anyway, I hope that all those kids have really bad parents who happen to be friends with each other or something 'cause it would be really awful if everybody was like that!
Michael_Vartan_Rocks
Cadet
awww their so mean!#@# i'm glad Vaughn is there to help her out though. i hope he finds out how old she really is!
their so mean!#@# i'm glad Vaughn is there to help her out though. i hope he finds out how old she really is! Syd_Vaughn4ever
Cadet
ok seriously....I would punch every one of those kids right in the face.......even though I have never heard of anyone doing that before but I went to a farm school so we weren't as mainstream.....can't wait for more.....can't wait to see what michael has to say about the fact that she doesn't have parents living with her!
SkyGirl5
Cadet
Chapter 7
As they walked, Sydney noticed that her teacher was walking extremely close to her. Normally, if they were in a different situation, this would not have made her uncomfortable; however, in that situation it did. For the most part, she was wracking her brain trying to think of all the answers to potential questions Michael would have about the place where she lived, which would have no parents, grandparents, or relatives, plus all the belongings of a twenty-four year old woman. It was going to be…interesting to say the least.
“Oh you have um…something on the back of your head if you didn’t know,” he said with a slight cringe. “I think its ice cream…”
“Oh well…I obviously have to shower anyway,” she laughed nervously, cramming her hands down into her jean pockets.
“God I’m just… I’m so sorry – I know it doesn’t sound like much but I really am so sorry those kids were such jerks to you,” he groaned, obviously sounding very frustrated with them.
“It’s alright, Mr. Vaughn, really,” Sydney assured him. “They’re just…” she let her voice drift off; there really was no proper descriptor for what they had done to her. Frankly she was too exhausted to search her mental dictionary for one, either; all she wanted to do was get home and take a very long bubble bath before going to bed.
“I knew you weren’t having the best time adjusting Sydney, but I had no idea it was that bad,” he said. “If you want or need any help…”
“Thanks,” she gave him a soft smile, “but assuming you can’t magically transform me into a different person, I doubt you can help me.” With that, she pushed open the gate to the townhouse in which she lived and began digging through her purse to find her keys.
“It’s dark inside,” he teacher observed. “Isn’t anyone home?”
“Oh I’m sure someone is…,” she said evasively.
“Ok well I guess this is goodnight Sydney,” he said giving her a soft smile. He turned to leave, but stopped himself short of taking a step away from her. He froze there for a moment before turning around rather suddenly. “You know what? I just…I have to say something here because you’re a great girl Sydney, a great girl. You shouldn’t feel as though you have to change yourself to get their approval. I mean, I know it seems that way, but it shouldn’t be! They’re just jerks who are making your life miserable because they can and for some reason they’ve grown a particular disliking to you which is ridiculous because you’re really sweet and smart and…and I guess I shouldn’t be saying all this,” he groaned rubbing his brow slightly.
Sydney’s heart was so far into her throat at the amazing words he was saying to her she could hardly croak out a rebuttal. If he said all that knowing she was his student, she could hardly imagine what he would have said to her if he knew who she really was, but she was about to find out. She knew it was supposed to be kept a secret, but after everything he was saying to her plus her growing attraction to him, she just had to reveal the truth.
“Mr. Vaughn wait!” she called out before he could escape her yard. Taking two steps towards him she continued, “I have to tell you something…”
“Sydney…,” he said in an almost warning tone.
“No wait – please listen. I…I’m not who you think I am. I’m not seventeen; I’m twenty-four,” she said. With this, a look of confused curiosity crossed his face so she continued. “I’m an undercover reporter for The Herald.”
“You’re twenty-four?” he asked very quietly.
Sydney nodded her head. “My editor sent me here to do a story on teens or school or something I’m not really sure which and it was actually rather stupid of him because look at me! I’m a freakish train wreck and I obviously don’t belong in high s-”
Before she could finish the word, she was interrupted by Michael’s lips on hers and his hands at her waist, kissing her so forcefully that she was actually knocked back a step. After their kiss, Sydney stepped back and managed to croak out a rather squeaky, “Wow.”
He laughed deeply as he stroked her mustard-stained cheek with one of his thumbs. Then, he gave her another brief kiss. “You can call me Michael now,” he told her.
“Okay,” she squeaked once more, barely able to form a coherent thought after he had just kissed her.
“Maybe we should, um, go inside and you can explain…” Michael suggested, nervous about kissing someone who was supposed to be his student (and technically still was) in the middle of her front yard. Sydney nodded and walked back towards her front door, key still in hand. She shoved it in the lock and turned it, but before she could open the door, Michael’s hands were on her hips and his lips were on hers and soon they were tumbling into her house.
When they landed with a thump on the rug just inside her front door, they both burst out laughing. Sydney kicked the door shut with her foot and tried to get up, but Michael was half on top of her, pinning her down, so she just lowered her head back down to the floor and continued to laugh until Michael kissed her once more.
That time, when Michael pulled back from their kiss, he looked at her like no one had ever looked at her before. He nuzzled his nose against hers before saying, “It’s such a relief to know I won’t go to jail for doing that.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Yeah, it must be.” A moment later they both climbed to their feet and stared rather awkwardly at each other until Sydney noticed he had ice cream on his arm, which made her feel incredibly guilty.
“It’s fine I promise,” he told her with a laugh. “It’ll clean right off.”
“I know but… god look at me – I’m like toxic waste,” she grumbled, looking down at her food splattered clothes. “I’m going to go change and throw out this shirt… I’ll be back in a few minutes alright?”
“Take your time,” he assured her. She gave him a rather thankful smile before jogging upstairs to change.
Chapter 8
A few minutes later, Sydney returned dressed in black snug-fitting sweatpants and a form-fitting tank top, attire completely different than what she wore on a regular basis and it caused Michael’s jaw to drop slightly. “I just changed into my PJs for now…I’ll shower then later,” she explained rather nervously from the way he was looking at her.
“Okay,” he croaked slightly, walking over to her and placing his hands on her hips once more. “You look perfect – beautiful…mustard-free…,” he listed before kissing her once more.
“Michael,” she giggled slightly at the foreign name on her tongue. “We need to talk about this…”
“What?” he asked innocently.
“This. The fact that we started this day with a student-teacher relationship and are clearly ending it on a different level.”
“Oh yeah…that,” he smiled. Sydney smiled back and led the way into her sitting room. Upon entering the room, she flicked on a few light switches, which immediately disturbed the grey sleeping tabby cat on the sofa. The cat blinked up at her for a moment, almost scolding her for disrupting his sleep, before lowering his head back down.
“That’s just Heathcliff…he’s lazy and won’t bother you at all. You don’t mind do you? I mean, you’re not allergic are you?” she asked carefully, noting the suspicious look on Michael’s face.
“No, no its fine…I was just surprised to see him,” he laughed softly, taking a cautious seat beside the feline. “So Heathcliff huh? From-
“Wuthering Heights,” they said in unison. Then, they both laughed softly.
“Yeah I’ve had him for a few years now,” Sydney continued, stroking the cat’s back. “It was too lonely living alone and I didn’t have time to walk a dog so…”
“I understand,” he gave her a soft smile. “So…you’re a reporter huh?”
“No, I’m not actually. This is my first assignment,” she admitted rather sheepishly.
Michael laughed, not expecting this. “Well you got one hell of an assignment then…”
“I know! This wasn’t supposed to happen… I mean, I just graduated from Temple barely two years ago… I was a fact checker at The Herald trying to be a reporter when this whole thing sort of fell into my lap. My editor has all this faith in me but clearly I am failing him.”
“Why?”
“Duh!” she exclaimed. “I have no story! I’m a loser and I always have been. This evening I was pelted with ice cream and mustard and god knows what else and that was the highlight of my high school experience so far. I should just quit my job and cut my losses…”
“Oh Sydney don’t say that,” he said with a sincere sigh. “C’mere. We can figure this out.” He gestured towards the empty space on the couch beside him until she sat there. Then, he put his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.
“Why would you want to help me?” she asked seriously. In all her life no one had volunteered help to her – not her parents, not anyone – and there Michael was just offering it with no strings attached, or so it seemed.
“Why not?” he asked with a rather baffled laugh.
“Michael,” she began very seriously, “you saw the way those kids treated me tonight. That’s how my entire life has been – always the one being teased and ridiculed. Always the big freak nerd with glasses. Just…Sydney Australia.”
“Sydney Australia?”
“Yeah that was my nickname in school. The kids said I was so weird I didn’t belong in the same country as the rest of them…so I was Australia,” she said with a slight shrug.
“Oh Sydney,” Michael said, unsure whether to laugh or cry at such a cruel thing in her life. “I promise you will never be Sydney Australia again, okay?” he said before giving her cheek a gentle kiss.
“How can you say that? I mean… why do you like me? We’re so different…,” she said distantly, leaning away from him.
“What?” he laughed. “No we’re not. Sydney look at that time we spent in my classroom talking for hours about everything, nothing…all those books we love. Every time we would sit there I would feel myself start falling for you all over again and I’d have to stop it and say, ‘She’s 17! What are you? Out of your mind!’ But I couldn’t help it…I was too attracted to you to stop falling…”
Sydney laughed nervously and looked away, her face feeling as though it was on fire. “Michael I knew we liked the same books and stuff but…but what about the other stuff…”
“What other stuff?”
“You know…,” she mumbled, not really wanting to tell him what she was thinking. “I’m hideous…and you’re not.”
“Oh my god Sydney, you are not hideous! And if you really think that those baboons are getting into your head when they shouldn’t be,” Michael told her honestly. She gave him a skeptical look. “You’re not hideous! Ok, so maybe you could do without some of the sweaters I’ve seen you wear, but if you dressed like this more often there’s no way they could say that about you!”
Sydney laughed softly and glanced down at herself. “I’m just wearing sweatpants.”
“Well, technically yes, but its difficult to tell since they’re black. Plus they’re snug so they show if your…assets,” he told her with a cheeky grin.
“Michael!” she exclaimed, utterly embarrassed.
“I’m just telling the truth. Trust me on this – I know high school kids; I’ve been around them ten hours a day for the past five years. I guarantee you if you take my advice…well, you may not be the most popular girl in school, but you definitely won’t get pelted with condiments again.”
“I would appreciate that,” she told him seriously.
“I’m sure.”
“So what are we talking here like… haircut? Contacts not glasses? Snug pants?” she offered, obviously mocking him.
“All of the above definitely, but we’ve got to phase it in – too much at once will seem too obvious… Plus its not just the way you look on the outside. You have to be confident about it, which I know will be difficult…”
“I hate to break it to you Michael, but if I dressed in short skirts and high heels like those other girls I would never be confident. I’d be too paranoid that I was going to fall flat on my face and show the whole school my pink underwear!” she exclaimed with horror at the mere mental image of that event.
“Better pink underwear than your bear butt cheeks since you’re only wearing a thong underneath that short skirt…,” he muttered.
“Happened?”
“Twice,” he said sadly. Sydney laughed. “It’s not funny. These girls are just so…trampy at the age of thirteen…its sad.”
“Ah well sex sells,” she sighed casually. Then, with that statement a brilliant idea flashed into her mind. “That’s it!” she exclaimed, jumping up off the couch.
“What?!” he exclaimed, utterly lost.
“Sex sells!”
“Yes…,” he said slowly, still confused.
“You know what else sells?”
“…free stuff?”
“NO! Sex scandals,” she said, grinning.
“Okay,” he began slowly. “I don’t think I like where you’re going with this, but okay.”
“No, Michael think about it. If I change my hair, dress like a slut, and get contacts, people might notice me, but that’s just not enough. We need a guarantee point of interest, which is where you come in,” she smiled.
“I was afraid of that,” he sighed.
“Oh Michael come on – you’re only the hottest teacher at that school. Girls would kill to be your after school special,” she told him.
“What?!” he squeaked. “No they wouldn’t.”
“Uh yeah, they would,” she said seriously. “So, what if someone finally got a little piece of the action? Everyone would naturally be jealous of that person and jealousy really is the foundation of popularity as long as its combined with a sugary sweet yet fake disposition…and a wonder bra, of course.”
“So let me get this straight… you want to become my Monica Lewinski?” he asked carefully.
“Exactly!” she beamed, “except less under the desk on hands and knees and more doing it on the desk in your classroom during study hall.”
“Okay,” he groaned, rubbing his furrowed brow. “Allow me to point out the sanity lacking in this plan, the most pressing reason being that I could actually lose my job.”
“No you couldn’t,” she promise. “First, it’ll just be a rumor – I’ll never confirm anything. Besides, if somehow the school does find out about it we can just come clean…I’ll show them my press card and we can tell them it was all a ploy for a story that I made up all on my own. I mean… if you really don’t want to do it…,” she added more casually, not wanting to pressure him into her harebrained idea.
“No I do because you’re right it definitely has the potential for working perfectly,” he told her with a slight laugh. She smiled. “Let’s do it.”
“Yes!” she cheered happily before giving him a quick hug. Michael pulled her back into his arms and fell back onto the sofa with her, nearly crushing Heathcliff in the process, but the two of them did not seem to notice; they were too busy kissing.
“Okay so, um, what about us?” Sydney asked carefully.
“Well I assume that we still need to keep up our student-teacher façade outside of your living room?” he asked. Sydney nodded sadly. As much as she hated that, it was a small town and someone was bound so see them if the went anywhere, which would destroy their whole devious plan.
“Then that’s what we’ll do – we’ll get together when we can…we can call each other…whatever, just as long as we get to do some of the things the rumors will talk about,” he said with a suggestive eyebrow raise.
“Deal,” she laughed. Then she gave him another quick kiss. “Ok now I have to go wash the ice cream out of my hair.”
“Sounds good,” he laughed softly. Then, they both stood from the couch and walked to Sydney’s front door, where they kissed again. “Goodnight.”
“Oh wait a second,” she said, grabbing on to his hand. He gave her a curious look. “Well…I just wanted to say thank you for…for taking the worst day of my life and making it one of the best. I mean, I don’t want to freak you out or anything but I’ve never really had a real boyfriend…and I think we’ve kissed more times in the past ten minutes than I’ve kissed anyone in my entire life combined,” she admitted, though it embarrassed her to do so.
Instead of looking concerned, shocked, or, worse, amused, Michael merely smiled and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she repeated with a smile. Then, she watched him leave before going upstairs to shower, not even caring she had to wash ice cream and mustard from her hair; she was just too happy.
Chapter 9
Going to school on Monday morning, Sydney’s attitude was entirely different than it had been previously. No longer was she dreading every moment of every day she spent there. Of course she knew things would not magically change overnight and the possibility of receiving more teasing from the A crowd was definitely possible; however, she was willing to accept that and deal with it knowing she had at least one ally at McMillan.
Even though she could not kiss Michael while on school property or even accept a hug from him, she knew that things were still going to be different. When they smiled at one another, it would not be just smiling. Their smiles would say a thousand words they could not. They were on the same team and together they were going to make it, or, rather, Sydney was going to make it.
On Saturday, a mere twelve hours after her first kiss with Michael and subsequent concoction of their evil plan, Sydney was sitting in a chair at the only beauty salon with an available appointment on the day of such a significant high school dance. Of course, she was not getting her hair done for that one evening; no, her hair restyling was for a much larger purpose.
A few hours later she left the salon trimmed, styled, and highlighted, and headed towards the mall to pick out a few new outfits for herself. While on her own she was slightly fashion challenged, using Michael’s advice combined with the memory of what the more popular girls wore to school she was able to find a few outfits for herself that were not worth of being laughed at.
She was taking her full body make over one step at a time. First was the hair. Next, the gradual phase in of the different wardrobe. After that she would be switching from glasses to contacts (after she made an appointment for them, of course). Finally, any other necessary amendments would be added to hopefully complete her transformation and allow her to climb a few rungs on the social ladder.
Within this makeover plan came the subtle flirting going on between herself and Michael, which they were putting into affect right away. Their plan was to have the other students in the school believe Sydney was bettering her appearance in response to the attention she was getting from her English teacher, which only added to their attraction to one another. Or so the rumor went, of course.
Sydney walked confidently into homeroom that morning in her new snug jeans and cranberry colored top with a sliver fashionable necklace. The clothes she was wearing were those she never would have worn if her wardrobe was up to her own decision, of course. Jeans were jeans, but the top was not her style and neither was the necklace. Actually, she did not wear any jewelry at all; it always distracted her or annoyed her after a while and she ended up taking it off, so why bother wearing it at all was her motto.
When she sat down in her assigned chair, she was still the only person in the classroom so she was able to exchange a rather flirtatious smile with Michael. He smiled back and tugged on his hair before giving her a rather dorky thumbs up signal that made her laugh. After that, though, they could not talk anymore because another student shuffled his way into the classroom looking very sleepy.
As Sydney sat in homeroom only half paying attention to the announcements Michael was reading, a perfectly devious idea crossed into her mind. She was going to take Mr. Vaughn – er, Michael – up on his offer for her to join the school newspaper. It would be the perfect opportunity to stay closer to him both for her own benefit and for the benefit of the rumor they were fueling. She simply had to wait for he perfect opportunity to saunter up to his desk at a time when people would obviously be watching her.
This time came just a moment before the bell signaling the start of her English class rang. By that point, most of her English class was in their seats, including a group of those who had been pelting her with condiments a few nights earlier. She waited until they were focusing their attention on the front of the classroom before sliding out of her seat and strutting her way up to the front of the room, where Michael was writing something on the chalkboard.
“Mr. Vaughn could I ask you something?” she asked a bit louder than was necessary. He gave her a rather surprised and curious look; this was not part of the plan they discussed. “Well you remember when you invited me to join the school newspaper? I was just wondering if that offer was still open because I’d really like to join. It sounds like such a great opportunity to work with you and other students – I think I’d really enjoy it,” she said with a slight giggle. Okay, so she was nauseating herself, but she had to lay it on obviously thick otherwise no one would notice.
“Um, yea, yea sure you’re always welcome. We meet on Mondays and Wednesday after school in room 112,” he said to her.
“Great! I’ll be there,” she beamed. Then she turned, and walked away with a purposeful swagger. In keeping with their plan, Michael turned his eyes down to examine her…uh, assets as she walked, though it really was not all that much of an act; his eyes were drawn to them anyway.
When Sydney slid back into her seat she could hear the group of students sitting behind her whispering about her new haircut. It really was a dramatic change since her had had gone from a dark brown to a very light color with the blonde highlights she had put in. Plus, the length was also much shorter and more fashionable and chic, as her stylist put it. This whispering made Sydney smiled softly; the plan was already beginning to work.
Once Sydney was safely in her seat, Michael cleared his throat and began their lesson of that day. Each time his eyes rested on Sydney’s face during the class he saw her smiling broadly at him and he had to fight to keep himself from smiling back. All the while he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at the fact that the little game they were playing was going to get very interesting in the coming weeks.
As they walked, Sydney noticed that her teacher was walking extremely close to her. Normally, if they were in a different situation, this would not have made her uncomfortable; however, in that situation it did. For the most part, she was wracking her brain trying to think of all the answers to potential questions Michael would have about the place where she lived, which would have no parents, grandparents, or relatives, plus all the belongings of a twenty-four year old woman. It was going to be…interesting to say the least.
“Oh you have um…something on the back of your head if you didn’t know,” he said with a slight cringe. “I think its ice cream…”
“Oh well…I obviously have to shower anyway,” she laughed nervously, cramming her hands down into her jean pockets.
“God I’m just… I’m so sorry – I know it doesn’t sound like much but I really am so sorry those kids were such jerks to you,” he groaned, obviously sounding very frustrated with them.
“It’s alright, Mr. Vaughn, really,” Sydney assured him. “They’re just…” she let her voice drift off; there really was no proper descriptor for what they had done to her. Frankly she was too exhausted to search her mental dictionary for one, either; all she wanted to do was get home and take a very long bubble bath before going to bed.
“I knew you weren’t having the best time adjusting Sydney, but I had no idea it was that bad,” he said. “If you want or need any help…”
“Thanks,” she gave him a soft smile, “but assuming you can’t magically transform me into a different person, I doubt you can help me.” With that, she pushed open the gate to the townhouse in which she lived and began digging through her purse to find her keys.
“It’s dark inside,” he teacher observed. “Isn’t anyone home?”
“Oh I’m sure someone is…,” she said evasively.
“Ok well I guess this is goodnight Sydney,” he said giving her a soft smile. He turned to leave, but stopped himself short of taking a step away from her. He froze there for a moment before turning around rather suddenly. “You know what? I just…I have to say something here because you’re a great girl Sydney, a great girl. You shouldn’t feel as though you have to change yourself to get their approval. I mean, I know it seems that way, but it shouldn’t be! They’re just jerks who are making your life miserable because they can and for some reason they’ve grown a particular disliking to you which is ridiculous because you’re really sweet and smart and…and I guess I shouldn’t be saying all this,” he groaned rubbing his brow slightly.
Sydney’s heart was so far into her throat at the amazing words he was saying to her she could hardly croak out a rebuttal. If he said all that knowing she was his student, she could hardly imagine what he would have said to her if he knew who she really was, but she was about to find out. She knew it was supposed to be kept a secret, but after everything he was saying to her plus her growing attraction to him, she just had to reveal the truth.
“Mr. Vaughn wait!” she called out before he could escape her yard. Taking two steps towards him she continued, “I have to tell you something…”
“Sydney…,” he said in an almost warning tone.
“No wait – please listen. I…I’m not who you think I am. I’m not seventeen; I’m twenty-four,” she said. With this, a look of confused curiosity crossed his face so she continued. “I’m an undercover reporter for The Herald.”
“You’re twenty-four?” he asked very quietly.
Sydney nodded her head. “My editor sent me here to do a story on teens or school or something I’m not really sure which and it was actually rather stupid of him because look at me! I’m a freakish train wreck and I obviously don’t belong in high s-”
Before she could finish the word, she was interrupted by Michael’s lips on hers and his hands at her waist, kissing her so forcefully that she was actually knocked back a step. After their kiss, Sydney stepped back and managed to croak out a rather squeaky, “Wow.”
He laughed deeply as he stroked her mustard-stained cheek with one of his thumbs. Then, he gave her another brief kiss. “You can call me Michael now,” he told her.
“Okay,” she squeaked once more, barely able to form a coherent thought after he had just kissed her.
“Maybe we should, um, go inside and you can explain…” Michael suggested, nervous about kissing someone who was supposed to be his student (and technically still was) in the middle of her front yard. Sydney nodded and walked back towards her front door, key still in hand. She shoved it in the lock and turned it, but before she could open the door, Michael’s hands were on her hips and his lips were on hers and soon they were tumbling into her house.
When they landed with a thump on the rug just inside her front door, they both burst out laughing. Sydney kicked the door shut with her foot and tried to get up, but Michael was half on top of her, pinning her down, so she just lowered her head back down to the floor and continued to laugh until Michael kissed her once more.
That time, when Michael pulled back from their kiss, he looked at her like no one had ever looked at her before. He nuzzled his nose against hers before saying, “It’s such a relief to know I won’t go to jail for doing that.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Yeah, it must be.” A moment later they both climbed to their feet and stared rather awkwardly at each other until Sydney noticed he had ice cream on his arm, which made her feel incredibly guilty.
“It’s fine I promise,” he told her with a laugh. “It’ll clean right off.”
“I know but… god look at me – I’m like toxic waste,” she grumbled, looking down at her food splattered clothes. “I’m going to go change and throw out this shirt… I’ll be back in a few minutes alright?”
“Take your time,” he assured her. She gave him a rather thankful smile before jogging upstairs to change.
Chapter 8
A few minutes later, Sydney returned dressed in black snug-fitting sweatpants and a form-fitting tank top, attire completely different than what she wore on a regular basis and it caused Michael’s jaw to drop slightly. “I just changed into my PJs for now…I’ll shower then later,” she explained rather nervously from the way he was looking at her.
“Okay,” he croaked slightly, walking over to her and placing his hands on her hips once more. “You look perfect – beautiful…mustard-free…,” he listed before kissing her once more.
“Michael,” she giggled slightly at the foreign name on her tongue. “We need to talk about this…”
“What?” he asked innocently.
“This. The fact that we started this day with a student-teacher relationship and are clearly ending it on a different level.”
“Oh yeah…that,” he smiled. Sydney smiled back and led the way into her sitting room. Upon entering the room, she flicked on a few light switches, which immediately disturbed the grey sleeping tabby cat on the sofa. The cat blinked up at her for a moment, almost scolding her for disrupting his sleep, before lowering his head back down.
“That’s just Heathcliff…he’s lazy and won’t bother you at all. You don’t mind do you? I mean, you’re not allergic are you?” she asked carefully, noting the suspicious look on Michael’s face.
“No, no its fine…I was just surprised to see him,” he laughed softly, taking a cautious seat beside the feline. “So Heathcliff huh? From-
“Wuthering Heights,” they said in unison. Then, they both laughed softly.
“Yeah I’ve had him for a few years now,” Sydney continued, stroking the cat’s back. “It was too lonely living alone and I didn’t have time to walk a dog so…”
“I understand,” he gave her a soft smile. “So…you’re a reporter huh?”
“No, I’m not actually. This is my first assignment,” she admitted rather sheepishly.
Michael laughed, not expecting this. “Well you got one hell of an assignment then…”
“I know! This wasn’t supposed to happen… I mean, I just graduated from Temple barely two years ago… I was a fact checker at The Herald trying to be a reporter when this whole thing sort of fell into my lap. My editor has all this faith in me but clearly I am failing him.”
“Why?”
“Duh!” she exclaimed. “I have no story! I’m a loser and I always have been. This evening I was pelted with ice cream and mustard and god knows what else and that was the highlight of my high school experience so far. I should just quit my job and cut my losses…”
“Oh Sydney don’t say that,” he said with a sincere sigh. “C’mere. We can figure this out.” He gestured towards the empty space on the couch beside him until she sat there. Then, he put his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.
“Why would you want to help me?” she asked seriously. In all her life no one had volunteered help to her – not her parents, not anyone – and there Michael was just offering it with no strings attached, or so it seemed.
“Why not?” he asked with a rather baffled laugh.
“Michael,” she began very seriously, “you saw the way those kids treated me tonight. That’s how my entire life has been – always the one being teased and ridiculed. Always the big freak nerd with glasses. Just…Sydney Australia.”
“Sydney Australia?”
“Yeah that was my nickname in school. The kids said I was so weird I didn’t belong in the same country as the rest of them…so I was Australia,” she said with a slight shrug.
“Oh Sydney,” Michael said, unsure whether to laugh or cry at such a cruel thing in her life. “I promise you will never be Sydney Australia again, okay?” he said before giving her cheek a gentle kiss.
“How can you say that? I mean… why do you like me? We’re so different…,” she said distantly, leaning away from him.
“What?” he laughed. “No we’re not. Sydney look at that time we spent in my classroom talking for hours about everything, nothing…all those books we love. Every time we would sit there I would feel myself start falling for you all over again and I’d have to stop it and say, ‘She’s 17! What are you? Out of your mind!’ But I couldn’t help it…I was too attracted to you to stop falling…”
Sydney laughed nervously and looked away, her face feeling as though it was on fire. “Michael I knew we liked the same books and stuff but…but what about the other stuff…”
“What other stuff?”
“You know…,” she mumbled, not really wanting to tell him what she was thinking. “I’m hideous…and you’re not.”
“Oh my god Sydney, you are not hideous! And if you really think that those baboons are getting into your head when they shouldn’t be,” Michael told her honestly. She gave him a skeptical look. “You’re not hideous! Ok, so maybe you could do without some of the sweaters I’ve seen you wear, but if you dressed like this more often there’s no way they could say that about you!”
Sydney laughed softly and glanced down at herself. “I’m just wearing sweatpants.”
“Well, technically yes, but its difficult to tell since they’re black. Plus they’re snug so they show if your…assets,” he told her with a cheeky grin.
“Michael!” she exclaimed, utterly embarrassed.
“I’m just telling the truth. Trust me on this – I know high school kids; I’ve been around them ten hours a day for the past five years. I guarantee you if you take my advice…well, you may not be the most popular girl in school, but you definitely won’t get pelted with condiments again.”
“I would appreciate that,” she told him seriously.
“I’m sure.”
“So what are we talking here like… haircut? Contacts not glasses? Snug pants?” she offered, obviously mocking him.
“All of the above definitely, but we’ve got to phase it in – too much at once will seem too obvious… Plus its not just the way you look on the outside. You have to be confident about it, which I know will be difficult…”
“I hate to break it to you Michael, but if I dressed in short skirts and high heels like those other girls I would never be confident. I’d be too paranoid that I was going to fall flat on my face and show the whole school my pink underwear!” she exclaimed with horror at the mere mental image of that event.
“Better pink underwear than your bear butt cheeks since you’re only wearing a thong underneath that short skirt…,” he muttered.
“Happened?”
“Twice,” he said sadly. Sydney laughed. “It’s not funny. These girls are just so…trampy at the age of thirteen…its sad.”
“Ah well sex sells,” she sighed casually. Then, with that statement a brilliant idea flashed into her mind. “That’s it!” she exclaimed, jumping up off the couch.
“What?!” he exclaimed, utterly lost.
“Sex sells!”
“Yes…,” he said slowly, still confused.
“You know what else sells?”
“…free stuff?”
“NO! Sex scandals,” she said, grinning.
“Okay,” he began slowly. “I don’t think I like where you’re going with this, but okay.”
“No, Michael think about it. If I change my hair, dress like a slut, and get contacts, people might notice me, but that’s just not enough. We need a guarantee point of interest, which is where you come in,” she smiled.
“I was afraid of that,” he sighed.
“Oh Michael come on – you’re only the hottest teacher at that school. Girls would kill to be your after school special,” she told him.
“What?!” he squeaked. “No they wouldn’t.”
“Uh yeah, they would,” she said seriously. “So, what if someone finally got a little piece of the action? Everyone would naturally be jealous of that person and jealousy really is the foundation of popularity as long as its combined with a sugary sweet yet fake disposition…and a wonder bra, of course.”
“So let me get this straight… you want to become my Monica Lewinski?” he asked carefully.
“Exactly!” she beamed, “except less under the desk on hands and knees and more doing it on the desk in your classroom during study hall.”
“Okay,” he groaned, rubbing his furrowed brow. “Allow me to point out the sanity lacking in this plan, the most pressing reason being that I could actually lose my job.”
“No you couldn’t,” she promise. “First, it’ll just be a rumor – I’ll never confirm anything. Besides, if somehow the school does find out about it we can just come clean…I’ll show them my press card and we can tell them it was all a ploy for a story that I made up all on my own. I mean… if you really don’t want to do it…,” she added more casually, not wanting to pressure him into her harebrained idea.
“No I do because you’re right it definitely has the potential for working perfectly,” he told her with a slight laugh. She smiled. “Let’s do it.”
“Yes!” she cheered happily before giving him a quick hug. Michael pulled her back into his arms and fell back onto the sofa with her, nearly crushing Heathcliff in the process, but the two of them did not seem to notice; they were too busy kissing.
“Okay so, um, what about us?” Sydney asked carefully.
“Well I assume that we still need to keep up our student-teacher façade outside of your living room?” he asked. Sydney nodded sadly. As much as she hated that, it was a small town and someone was bound so see them if the went anywhere, which would destroy their whole devious plan.
“Then that’s what we’ll do – we’ll get together when we can…we can call each other…whatever, just as long as we get to do some of the things the rumors will talk about,” he said with a suggestive eyebrow raise.
“Deal,” she laughed. Then she gave him another quick kiss. “Ok now I have to go wash the ice cream out of my hair.”
“Sounds good,” he laughed softly. Then, they both stood from the couch and walked to Sydney’s front door, where they kissed again. “Goodnight.”
“Oh wait a second,” she said, grabbing on to his hand. He gave her a curious look. “Well…I just wanted to say thank you for…for taking the worst day of my life and making it one of the best. I mean, I don’t want to freak you out or anything but I’ve never really had a real boyfriend…and I think we’ve kissed more times in the past ten minutes than I’ve kissed anyone in my entire life combined,” she admitted, though it embarrassed her to do so.
Instead of looking concerned, shocked, or, worse, amused, Michael merely smiled and kissed her forehead. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she repeated with a smile. Then, she watched him leave before going upstairs to shower, not even caring she had to wash ice cream and mustard from her hair; she was just too happy.
Chapter 9
Going to school on Monday morning, Sydney’s attitude was entirely different than it had been previously. No longer was she dreading every moment of every day she spent there. Of course she knew things would not magically change overnight and the possibility of receiving more teasing from the A crowd was definitely possible; however, she was willing to accept that and deal with it knowing she had at least one ally at McMillan.
Even though she could not kiss Michael while on school property or even accept a hug from him, she knew that things were still going to be different. When they smiled at one another, it would not be just smiling. Their smiles would say a thousand words they could not. They were on the same team and together they were going to make it, or, rather, Sydney was going to make it.
On Saturday, a mere twelve hours after her first kiss with Michael and subsequent concoction of their evil plan, Sydney was sitting in a chair at the only beauty salon with an available appointment on the day of such a significant high school dance. Of course, she was not getting her hair done for that one evening; no, her hair restyling was for a much larger purpose.
A few hours later she left the salon trimmed, styled, and highlighted, and headed towards the mall to pick out a few new outfits for herself. While on her own she was slightly fashion challenged, using Michael’s advice combined with the memory of what the more popular girls wore to school she was able to find a few outfits for herself that were not worth of being laughed at.
She was taking her full body make over one step at a time. First was the hair. Next, the gradual phase in of the different wardrobe. After that she would be switching from glasses to contacts (after she made an appointment for them, of course). Finally, any other necessary amendments would be added to hopefully complete her transformation and allow her to climb a few rungs on the social ladder.
Within this makeover plan came the subtle flirting going on between herself and Michael, which they were putting into affect right away. Their plan was to have the other students in the school believe Sydney was bettering her appearance in response to the attention she was getting from her English teacher, which only added to their attraction to one another. Or so the rumor went, of course.
Sydney walked confidently into homeroom that morning in her new snug jeans and cranberry colored top with a sliver fashionable necklace. The clothes she was wearing were those she never would have worn if her wardrobe was up to her own decision, of course. Jeans were jeans, but the top was not her style and neither was the necklace. Actually, she did not wear any jewelry at all; it always distracted her or annoyed her after a while and she ended up taking it off, so why bother wearing it at all was her motto.
When she sat down in her assigned chair, she was still the only person in the classroom so she was able to exchange a rather flirtatious smile with Michael. He smiled back and tugged on his hair before giving her a rather dorky thumbs up signal that made her laugh. After that, though, they could not talk anymore because another student shuffled his way into the classroom looking very sleepy.
As Sydney sat in homeroom only half paying attention to the announcements Michael was reading, a perfectly devious idea crossed into her mind. She was going to take Mr. Vaughn – er, Michael – up on his offer for her to join the school newspaper. It would be the perfect opportunity to stay closer to him both for her own benefit and for the benefit of the rumor they were fueling. She simply had to wait for he perfect opportunity to saunter up to his desk at a time when people would obviously be watching her.
This time came just a moment before the bell signaling the start of her English class rang. By that point, most of her English class was in their seats, including a group of those who had been pelting her with condiments a few nights earlier. She waited until they were focusing their attention on the front of the classroom before sliding out of her seat and strutting her way up to the front of the room, where Michael was writing something on the chalkboard.
“Mr. Vaughn could I ask you something?” she asked a bit louder than was necessary. He gave her a rather surprised and curious look; this was not part of the plan they discussed. “Well you remember when you invited me to join the school newspaper? I was just wondering if that offer was still open because I’d really like to join. It sounds like such a great opportunity to work with you and other students – I think I’d really enjoy it,” she said with a slight giggle. Okay, so she was nauseating herself, but she had to lay it on obviously thick otherwise no one would notice.
“Um, yea, yea sure you’re always welcome. We meet on Mondays and Wednesday after school in room 112,” he said to her.
“Great! I’ll be there,” she beamed. Then she turned, and walked away with a purposeful swagger. In keeping with their plan, Michael turned his eyes down to examine her…uh, assets as she walked, though it really was not all that much of an act; his eyes were drawn to them anyway.
When Sydney slid back into her seat she could hear the group of students sitting behind her whispering about her new haircut. It really was a dramatic change since her had had gone from a dark brown to a very light color with the blonde highlights she had put in. Plus, the length was also much shorter and more fashionable and chic, as her stylist put it. This whispering made Sydney smiled softly; the plan was already beginning to work.
Once Sydney was safely in her seat, Michael cleared his throat and began their lesson of that day. Each time his eyes rested on Sydney’s face during the class he saw her smiling broadly at him and he had to fight to keep himself from smiling back. All the while he couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at the fact that the little game they were playing was going to get very interesting in the coming weeks.
texasalias2004
Cadet
I am glad that she told Michael how old she is etc. I can't wait for more. Thanks for the double updates.
texasalias
texasalias
SkyGirl5
Cadet
Chapter 10
Through over the phone discussions, Sydney and Michael decided that the school newspaper meetings were going to be their first attempts at really getting the students to notice there was something going on between them more than just student-teacher relations. Of course, they were not positive on the details of this plan, but they were going to take opportunities if they arose. For example, during Sydney’s first meeting with the newspaper crew, she dropped her pencil and Michael picked it up for her, giving her a sweet smile in return. Also, when Michael asked for a volunteer to go with him to the printers to pick up their newspaper once it was completed, Sydney volunteered in a slightly overzealous way, nearly knocking a desk over in the process, which only really succeeded in having people laugh at her.
In addition to spending additional time in each other’s presence during newspaper meetings, Sydney made it a point to go up and talk to Michael every morning between homeroom and English class. This way, every time a student entered that classroom, they would see them speaking together. More often than not, Sydney and Michael weren’t saying anything at all; they were merely babbling random words quietly so it gave the illusion that they were deep in conversation with their own personal jokes. Every morning Sydney did this, Michael would watch her walk away, thoroughly enjoying her new, snugger wardrobe.
Of course this enjoyment came with a significant downside since they could not actually date one another in any traditional sense. As a matter of fact, they had not even kissed since the night of the carnival when Sydney revealed the truth about who she really was. This was painful for them both, but they had to be very discreet about becoming close in public. Getting caught making out with each other in Michael’s classroom was not part of their plan; they were going for a more subtle, less dangerous route.
One Wednesday afternoon as everyone was leaving the newspaper staff meeting, Sydney volunteered to stay behind and help clean up the empty cups and plates left behind from the student’s snakes. Her offer to help was more out of kindness than any sort of plan, although she did see an opportunity to get a bit closer to Michael and did not hesitate to take it. As he was clearing off the desks and setting the chairs up on top so the janitor could sweep the floor, Sydney slid onto one of the desks behind him and prodded the back of his knee with her toe.
“Hey,” he laughed, turning around to face her. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what? This?” she asked with a cheeky grin as she locked her heels around the back of his calves, trying to bring him a bit close to her.
“Um yes,” Michael laughed as he stumbled forward. He rested his hands on the desk on either side of her legs and leaned in closer to her as though he was going to kiss her, but before he could Sydney leaned away.
“Nope; too risky,” she said. He groaned loudly. “Oh come on what would happen if someone walked by that door and saw us? You’d be in the back of a police car before we even had a chance to explain.”
Knowing this was a valid point Michael grumbled and continued cleaning up the scattered paper cups. Sydney slid off the desk to help him and together they had the room cleaned up in a matter of minutes. As Sydney was packing up her backpack, Michael expressed his desires for the two of them to get together outside of the school in a situation where at least some form of kissing or closeness would be allowed. Wanting this as well, Sydney very quietly invited him to her townhouse that weekend for a date in evening; Michael agreed immediately and they parted ways with a promise of a phone call later that evening.
~*~
As Sydney was staring at her close Saturday afternoon, desperately trying to pick an outfit to wear on her date that evening, she realized that she had absolutely no clothes that would be appropriate. She realized that the vast majority of her wardrobe was a hideous disaster. The items of clothing she owned were either too big, too bag, or too plaid to be worn in the company of someone as gorgeous as Michael. She did have one rather nice black dress, but it was too fancy for that evening, so she was stuck wearing one of the outfits she normally wore to school. She did, however, make a mental note to go shopping for some date appropriate clothing that she would be able to use for the first time in her life.
To make their date in night (during which they would be watching a movie) last a little longer, Sydney originally offered to make them some dinner. Michael refused, though, stating he felt bad making her cook when she had homework to do; he would simply bring along a pizza with the movie.
When Sydney hear the doorbell ring, she rushed down the hall to answer it. Outside the door, Michael stood with a pizza box in his arms and a black baseball cap on his head; Sydney couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh good, the delivery boy is here; how much do I owe ya?”
“Ha you’re funny,” he said dryly walking into the house. “I’m wearing the cap to be a bit more inconspicuous.”
“I can see that,” she laughed softly before leaning over the pizza box to give him a quick kiss. Of course, their kiss did not end as quickly as Sydney anticipated since Michael would not release her lips from hers for a solid minute or so.
“Mm I missed that,” he sighed. Sydney giggled involuntarily with nerves at this comment; never had anyone said that they missed her let alone her kisses. “So how did your homework go? By the way, I never thought I’d be dating someone who had homework…after college, that is,” he laughed.
“Well trust me I never thought I’d have homework again either,” she grumbled.
Michael cringed. “Yeah that sucks…”
“So how do you think our plan is going by the way?” Sydney asked as she pulled a slice of pizza from the box and set it down on a plate. “I mean… I don’t know if its working.”
“Well its just been a week or so; give it time,” Michael pointed out, taking a slice for himself.
“I know but… I don’t even know how to be sexy I’m just a dud,” she sighed.
Michael nearly choked at this comment. “Syd you’re not a dud –you’re very sexy, you just don’t know it,” he said. Sydney gave a laughing noise that made it clear she did not believe him. “I’m serious! You know that walk you do when you’re on the way back to your desk in English class – now that is sexy.”
“Really?” she asked carefully.
He nodded. “Just don’t think about it and don’t try really hard – you’ve already got it.”
“Okay then,” she smiled, slightly happier. “So what movie did you rent? I hope its not R rated because you know I’m just 17,” she said, bating her eyelashes at him.
“That’s creepy,” he laughed. “Don’t say that or think that because it would make me eleven years older than you.”
That time Sydney nearly choked on her pizza. “You’re twenty-eight?! You’re kidding!” She would have guessed his age to be much younger, not that twenty-eight was incredibly old or anything, just older than she expected.
“Yeah, I guess I was just blessed with good DNA,” he smiled.
“In more ways that one,” she informed him seriously. He laughed and threw a napkin at her.
Through over the phone discussions, Sydney and Michael decided that the school newspaper meetings were going to be their first attempts at really getting the students to notice there was something going on between them more than just student-teacher relations. Of course, they were not positive on the details of this plan, but they were going to take opportunities if they arose. For example, during Sydney’s first meeting with the newspaper crew, she dropped her pencil and Michael picked it up for her, giving her a sweet smile in return. Also, when Michael asked for a volunteer to go with him to the printers to pick up their newspaper once it was completed, Sydney volunteered in a slightly overzealous way, nearly knocking a desk over in the process, which only really succeeded in having people laugh at her.
In addition to spending additional time in each other’s presence during newspaper meetings, Sydney made it a point to go up and talk to Michael every morning between homeroom and English class. This way, every time a student entered that classroom, they would see them speaking together. More often than not, Sydney and Michael weren’t saying anything at all; they were merely babbling random words quietly so it gave the illusion that they were deep in conversation with their own personal jokes. Every morning Sydney did this, Michael would watch her walk away, thoroughly enjoying her new, snugger wardrobe.
Of course this enjoyment came with a significant downside since they could not actually date one another in any traditional sense. As a matter of fact, they had not even kissed since the night of the carnival when Sydney revealed the truth about who she really was. This was painful for them both, but they had to be very discreet about becoming close in public. Getting caught making out with each other in Michael’s classroom was not part of their plan; they were going for a more subtle, less dangerous route.
One Wednesday afternoon as everyone was leaving the newspaper staff meeting, Sydney volunteered to stay behind and help clean up the empty cups and plates left behind from the student’s snakes. Her offer to help was more out of kindness than any sort of plan, although she did see an opportunity to get a bit closer to Michael and did not hesitate to take it. As he was clearing off the desks and setting the chairs up on top so the janitor could sweep the floor, Sydney slid onto one of the desks behind him and prodded the back of his knee with her toe.
“Hey,” he laughed, turning around to face her. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what? This?” she asked with a cheeky grin as she locked her heels around the back of his calves, trying to bring him a bit close to her.
“Um yes,” Michael laughed as he stumbled forward. He rested his hands on the desk on either side of her legs and leaned in closer to her as though he was going to kiss her, but before he could Sydney leaned away.
“Nope; too risky,” she said. He groaned loudly. “Oh come on what would happen if someone walked by that door and saw us? You’d be in the back of a police car before we even had a chance to explain.”
Knowing this was a valid point Michael grumbled and continued cleaning up the scattered paper cups. Sydney slid off the desk to help him and together they had the room cleaned up in a matter of minutes. As Sydney was packing up her backpack, Michael expressed his desires for the two of them to get together outside of the school in a situation where at least some form of kissing or closeness would be allowed. Wanting this as well, Sydney very quietly invited him to her townhouse that weekend for a date in evening; Michael agreed immediately and they parted ways with a promise of a phone call later that evening.
~*~
As Sydney was staring at her close Saturday afternoon, desperately trying to pick an outfit to wear on her date that evening, she realized that she had absolutely no clothes that would be appropriate. She realized that the vast majority of her wardrobe was a hideous disaster. The items of clothing she owned were either too big, too bag, or too plaid to be worn in the company of someone as gorgeous as Michael. She did have one rather nice black dress, but it was too fancy for that evening, so she was stuck wearing one of the outfits she normally wore to school. She did, however, make a mental note to go shopping for some date appropriate clothing that she would be able to use for the first time in her life.
To make their date in night (during which they would be watching a movie) last a little longer, Sydney originally offered to make them some dinner. Michael refused, though, stating he felt bad making her cook when she had homework to do; he would simply bring along a pizza with the movie.
When Sydney hear the doorbell ring, she rushed down the hall to answer it. Outside the door, Michael stood with a pizza box in his arms and a black baseball cap on his head; Sydney couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh good, the delivery boy is here; how much do I owe ya?”
“Ha you’re funny,” he said dryly walking into the house. “I’m wearing the cap to be a bit more inconspicuous.”
“I can see that,” she laughed softly before leaning over the pizza box to give him a quick kiss. Of course, their kiss did not end as quickly as Sydney anticipated since Michael would not release her lips from hers for a solid minute or so.
“Mm I missed that,” he sighed. Sydney giggled involuntarily with nerves at this comment; never had anyone said that they missed her let alone her kisses. “So how did your homework go? By the way, I never thought I’d be dating someone who had homework…after college, that is,” he laughed.
“Well trust me I never thought I’d have homework again either,” she grumbled.
Michael cringed. “Yeah that sucks…”
“So how do you think our plan is going by the way?” Sydney asked as she pulled a slice of pizza from the box and set it down on a plate. “I mean… I don’t know if its working.”
“Well its just been a week or so; give it time,” Michael pointed out, taking a slice for himself.
“I know but… I don’t even know how to be sexy I’m just a dud,” she sighed.
Michael nearly choked at this comment. “Syd you’re not a dud –you’re very sexy, you just don’t know it,” he said. Sydney gave a laughing noise that made it clear she did not believe him. “I’m serious! You know that walk you do when you’re on the way back to your desk in English class – now that is sexy.”
“Really?” she asked carefully.
He nodded. “Just don’t think about it and don’t try really hard – you’ve already got it.”
“Okay then,” she smiled, slightly happier. “So what movie did you rent? I hope its not R rated because you know I’m just 17,” she said, bating her eyelashes at him.
“That’s creepy,” he laughed. “Don’t say that or think that because it would make me eleven years older than you.”
That time Sydney nearly choked on her pizza. “You’re twenty-eight?! You’re kidding!” She would have guessed his age to be much younger, not that twenty-eight was incredibly old or anything, just older than she expected.
“Yeah, I guess I was just blessed with good DNA,” he smiled.
“In more ways that one,” she informed him seriously. He laughed and threw a napkin at her.
Spydrummer06
Cadet
I'm glad that he knows what is really going on and they can be together, even if they have to be careful. I can't wait to see the reactions of everyone else as they continue on with this.
Great update
Great update
texasalias2004
Cadet
AWe cute update. I am curious to see what kind of story that Sydney will write about her and Michael?
texasalias
texasalias
farliieansds225
Cadet
yay soo glad he knows!!
awesome updates
loved them
cant wait for more!
awesome updates
loved them
cant wait for more!
Syd_Vaughn4ever
Cadet
I'm loving it....loving it!!!! I'm so happy that she told him and they're dating......oh man what I wouldn't give to have MV as my teacher......oh hell yes!
