Save Me from the Nothing I've Become
- Thread starter derevkointraining
- Start date
texasalias2004
Cadet
I new that they had something up their sleeve. I can't wait to see what happens
texasalias
texasalias
jessie tubb
Cadet
jill is a bitch...plus the principle can't do that ...it is coincidential evidence, syd was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and vaughn has to believe her
thanks for the pm
thanks for the pm
UndercoverPhoenix47
Cadet
NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She CAN'T get in trouble NOW!!!!! With everything going on good in her life!!!!!!!!! She CAN'T get in trouble!
She CAN'T get in trouble NOW!!!!! With everything going on good in her life!!!!!!!!! She CAN'T get in trouble!
Syd_ Vaughn
Cadet
Great update!
I'm so glad they got togerther but I was a little afraid that it wouldn't last when she tried to have sex with him. But Vaughn his very understanding and I also think that it's great that she is starting to talk about her life. But OMV I hate Jill right now she's gonna pay for this. Thanks for the PM and please you have to update soon coz I can't wait for it.
I'm so glad they got togerther but I was a little afraid that it wouldn't last when she tried to have sex with him. But Vaughn his very understanding and I also think that it's great that she is starting to talk about her life. But OMV I hate Jill right now she's gonna pay for this. Thanks for the PM and please you have to update soon coz I can't wait for it.
Syd&Vaughn4eva
Cadet
What a Bitch!!!!!
that just totally cruel!!!
Gabby
that just totally cruel!!!
Gabby
AliasSydney502
Cadet
wow syd. you need to drop those old habits... tsk tsk.
Mike and Syd are soo cute together!
damn Jill. she needs to rot in hell.
Mike and Syd are soo cute together!
damn Jill. she needs to rot in hell.
littleangel
Cadet
sorry it took me so long to review, i had to catch up on some chapters
the last chapters were great
Michael and Sydney are so cute together, it's good she finally opened up and let someone help her
hopefully Sydney doesn't get into too much trouble, Jill is really awful as well as the rest of her 'friends', good thing she has new ones
thanks for the pm's
the last chapters were great
Michael and Sydney are so cute together, it's good she finally opened up and let someone help her
hopefully Sydney doesn't get into too much trouble, Jill is really awful as well as the rest of her 'friends', good thing she has new ones
thanks for the pm's
SpygirlAmy
Cadet
aww poor syd! that was SO mean of them to do that to her!
i really hope that vaughn doesnt think that she has done this and beliees it was a set up!
thanks for the PM
update soon
i really hope that vaughn doesnt think that she has done this and beliees it was a set up!
thanks for the PM
update soon
derevkointraining
Cadet
last Chapter! Thank you to everyone who complimented my story and came along for the ride. I LOVED all your reactions to Chapter 10. Thank you for reading!!!
PM's will go out a little later, so again, SORRY to anyone who reads this before I send it out...I didn't ignore you and not send you a PM..
Chapter 11:
“Okay, Miss Bristow. This is the third time I’ve caught you in this bathroom when it smelled like nicotine or marijuana. You are coming with me.”
“But it wasn’t me…I swear! I came to meet Jill Klein… she asked me to come here at 12:30. I swear.”
“Don’t blame others Miss Bristow. Do you have pot on you? Is it in your locker?”
“No, I don’t do that!” The principal was leading me through the hallway and I had tears streaming down my face. We got to my locker and she made me open it. When I did, three bags of pot fell out. “Oh my god…they planted it on me…”
“You know this means suspension Sydney.”
“It’s not mine…I swear! Fingerprint it…you’ll see!!” I collapsed on the floor against the wall, crying. Thank god there were classes going on so no one was in the hallways. However, I didn’t notice that Mrs. Vaughn had seen everything from her doorway and Francie had also been standing at her locker halfway down the hall.
“Get up Miss Bristow, we have to call your parents.”
“I didn’t do it…I swear! Please, why don’t you believe me?”
“What’s going on here?” I heard Mrs. Vaughn’s voice and looked up to see her come over.
“With all due respect, Amy, I don’t think this is a matter than concerns you.”
“I know Sydney personally, Kathleen,” Mrs. Vaughn said. “I’d like to know what happened.” Mrs. Vaughn knelt down next to me and took my hand in hers. “Sydney…can you tell me what happened?”
Sobbing, I told her how Jill asked me to meet her in that note she handed me in homeroom and that the bathroom smelled like pot and no one was in there when I got there and how three bags of it ended up in my locker. By the end of the story, I was crying really hard. “I swear I didn’t do any of this,” I said. Mrs. Vaughn nodded and pulled me up and into a hug.
“Kathleen, with all due respect, I honestly don’t think any of this had to do with Sydney. I know for a fact she attends a program multiple times each week with my son. You know which program I am talking about,” Mrs. Vaughn said firmly, looking the principal in the eye. “I also have both Sydney and Jill Klein in my homeroom and Jill has been avoiding Sydney for months and did ask her to meet her today.”
“I also might have some information to add…” a soft voice broke in. Everyone turned to see Francie standing there.
“Miss Calfo, what do you have to add to this matter?” the principal asked Francie.
“Mrs. Dobson, I saw a group of Sydney’s old friends standing by her locker earlier, laughing and playing around with it. I can name all five students and I heard one of them say, ‘serves her right for ditching us.’”
“Is this true?”
Francie nodded. “Seriously. I thought it was odd they were playing with Sydney’s locker because she hasn’t talked to them since January.”
Mrs. Dobson sighed. “Okay, all three of you are coming to my office to straighten this out.”
Mrs. Dobson, Francie, Mrs. Vaughn and I all walked over to the office and congregated in her office. I briefly went into my history of who I used to be and how I’ve been going to the program since January. Mrs. Vaughn attested to everything since she knew how much time Mike invested in me each week.
“Sydney is a lovely girl, Mrs. Dobson, and a great student. After seeing the young lady she’s become in the past few months, I just can’t imagine she would do something so stupid,” Mrs. Vaughn said firmly.
“I’ve also gotten to know Sydney well.” Francie broke in. “She doesn’t use any of that stuff. I also swear my life on what I saw this morning.”
Mrs. Dobson finally nodded. “Okay, okay. Francie, can you please tell me who you saw this morning so I can talk to them?”
Francie nodded and announced who the kids were. “Jill Klein, Cari Cooper, Lindsay Michaels, Kyle Marks and Brenden Jenkins.”
I sighed, feeling like eight knives were just stabbed into my back.
“Thank you. Francie, you are free to go. Here is a late slip for the class that just started. Amy, do you have a class right now?” Mrs. Vaughn shook her head no at Mrs. Dobson. “Okay. Sydney, I am going to give you the rest of the day off. I’m sorry things happened this way. Do you know how these kids got into your locker?”
I slowly nodded. “We all had each other’s combinations to decorate lockers for birthdays and what not. So they still had mine from when we were friends.”
Mrs. Dobson shook her head and pressed a button on her phone. “Hello, Tina. Can you please bring a new locker padlock in here? Thanks. Sydney, I am giving you a new combination to use.” I nodded in response. “Can someone take you home or do you want to hang out in the library for the rest of the day?”
“Ummm…I can call my mom, I think…” I started to say but Mrs. Vaughn cut me off.
“I’ll take her home, Kathleen. It won’t be a problem and I have plenty of time before my next class. Sydney is a friend of the family so this is not unusual.”
Mrs. Dobson nodded and gave me my new lock and said she’d get my homework from my teachers for me. Mrs. Vaughn walked me to my locker and waited until I got what I needed.
“Mrs. Vaughn, thank you for this but I can get home myself, really.”
“Nonsense. I’m taking you, let’s go.”
I felt a little weird, but followed her out to her car. Once we were settled and on the way to my house, she turned to me. “Sydney, you are my son’s girlfriend. I wish you’d relax and not think of me just as your teacher.”
I turned to stare at her. “You know about me and Mike?”
She chuckled. “Sydney, I am very close with my children and Mike talks to me. He’s a good boy.”
I looked down in horror, realizing she definitely knew about my past extracurricular activities. “So you are probably wondering what a terrible person like myself is doing with your son, who is practically a Saint.”
“Sydney. I do know a little about you from months ago, but not from Mike. He keeps details like that confidential. All Mike tells me is how much he likes spending time with you and that he helped you through a tough time. You girls think teachers don’t hear conversations you have in class but we do. That’s how I know. But I also know how hard you have been working to change and I never thought badly of you. Personally, you do wonders for Mike. That boy has barely smiled since his cousin died and since January, there has been a much lighter air about him. He has been happier about everything, and it’s because of you. So I have a lot to thank you for. You saved my son from turning into a bitter recluse.”
I sat there in shock, not realizing how much my presence in Mike’s life affected him. Before I knew it, we were at my house. I looked at Mrs. Vaughn and smiled. “Thank you, for everything.” I said and leaned over to give her a small hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled back at me.
I got out of the car and went into my house. My mom appeared from the sun room, looking startled when she saw me.
“SYDNEY ANNE BRISTOW. Why are you not in school?” Then she looked at my face, all puffy from crying and came over to hug me. “Sweetie, what happened?” I broke down crying and my mom pulled me over to the couch. “Syd…Sydney…what’s wrong, baby?” She asked, stroking my hair.
“Mom…sit back. I have quite a story to tell.” I spent the next forty-five minutes pouring my heart out to my mom about everything I’ve done since seventh grade, both the good and the bad. My mom actually listened for once and when I was done she looked at me. I braced myself for the screaming I was going to get. However, my mom simply hugged me.
“I’m sorry Sydney. I’m sorry that I failed you as a mother. Maybe we can work on this together… Let’s not tell your father about this. At least not now. And I am really proud of how you are changing yourself and how much you care about your sister.” She pulled me into a hug and we sat there for a while, simply mother and daughter.
***************************************************************
Mike’s POV
During his free study period in the library, Mike felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was his mother. “Hi Mom.”
“Michael, listen. Sydney had a tough day. I’m not going to get into it but let’s just say I just drove her home. Use my credit card to get her some nice flowers and go over to her house later.”
“Uh, okay…thanks Mom.” Mike said, feeling a little weird about this phone call, and incredibly nervous about what could have happened to Sydney.
Mike was antsy through the rest of his classes and bolted out of school as fast as he could when the final bell rang. Taking his mom’s advice, he stopped at Johnson’s Flower shop and picked out a cuddly white teddy bear along with some peach roses, which he figured out were Sydney’s favorite. Then he drove as fast as he dared over to her house and practically pounded the door down while knocking.
Irina Bristow finally swung the door open. “Hello Mike,” she said, holding the door open so he could come inside. “I’m assuming your mother informed you that Sydney had a rough day.” Mike nodded. “She’s resting upstairs, but I’m sure she’d be happy to see you. Please go on up, and tell her I’ve also left to go get Nadia.”
“Sure. Thanks Mrs. Bristow.” Mike walked up the stairs and knocked lightly on Sydney’s bedroom door. He didn’t hear anything so he pushed it open gently. He saw she was curled up on her side, asleep, and her long hair was fanned out on the pillow. “She looks like an angel,” he thought, creeping near the bed.
Trying not to make too much noise, he set the flowers and stuffed animal down on her nightstand and gently kissed her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open as he had turned to leave the room.
“Where do you think you are going?” he heard as he was almost to the door. He turned and saw she was staring at him with a smile on her face.
“Syd.” Mike said and walked back over to the bed. He sat down on the edge and put a hand on her leg. “Are you okay?”
Sydney sat up and leaned over to hug Mike. “You could say that. Thank you for my flowers and bear…” she said, finally noticing the gifts.
***************************************************************
“I have the perfect boyfriend,” I thought after spying the gifts he left on my nightstand. “How did you know?” I asked, after thanking him.
“My mom called me to tell me you had a rough day. But I have no idea what happened.”
I sighed, and told him about the day’s ordeal. Mike looked horrified and pulled me close to him, like he wanted to protect me. It was a nice feeling. “I told my mom everything…everything about the past two years. She was really good about it. I think we’ll be closer now…” I said as I ended my story.
Mike leaned over and kissed my nose. “I’m so proud of you, Sydney. You are so strong.”
I leaned into him, smelling his aftershave. “It’s all because of you…Mike…I love you.”
He sat back and looked at me for a minute before breaking out into the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face. “I love you too, Sydney. Now let’s talk about what we’re going to do for your birthday in three days.”
~~~
When I returned the school the next day I learned that three things had happened to my five ex friends. First they were suspended for a week with the incident going on their permanent record. Second, they had to complete ten hours of community service each before the end of the school year. Third, they were all required to attend drug counseling sessions. Francie and I had a good laugh as she told me how the five of them were led down to the office shortly after I left school.
“Dude, I bet Jill is grounded for LIFE,” I said, recalling how strict her parents were. Francie grinned at me and we laughed some more.
Two days later, on Friday, it was my birthday. Francie brought me a balloon and cupcakes in school and I promised her we’d hang out on Sunday. Tonight was reserved for Mike. I knew he had something planned but he wouldn’t tell me exactly what we were doing, just not to eat dinner.
Once school ended I rushed home and opened presents with my family and then went upstairs to change. Staring into my closet, I decided on my favorite pair of jeans and a lavender long sleeve shirt. I put two small butterfly clips that matched my shirt in my hair and touched up the small amount of makeup I had on.
I heard the doorbell ring followed by my sister screeching Mike’s name. I looked in the mirror one more time and bounded down the stairs.
“Happy birthday, Sydney!” Mike said, smiling. I grinned in return.
“Mom, Dad…I’m leaving!” I called into the kitchen where they were eating dinner with Nadia.
“Have fun Sweetheart. Be back by 11…” I heard my mom call.
I smiled widely, realizing she extended my curfew tonight by a half hour. “THANKS!” I screamed and made a mental note to give my mom a big hug in the morning.
Mike took my hand and led me to the car. “Okay, where are we going?” I asked.
He shook his head. “It’s a surprise.” I pouted, but kept my mouth shut. Ten minutes later, after he parked the car and we got out, I realized we were going to the park where we had our first real kiss…the night that I ruined with my stupidity. I glanced at Mike, confused.
“I thought we’d have a picnic dinner in the park,” he said casually.
“Why here?” I asked.
“Why not?” Mike glanced at me slyly. “I like this park.” He smiled and led me over to the exact spot we had been laying on the grass that night. Again, I was completely baffled.
“Okay, Mike. What are you trying to do to me?” I asked. “Are you trying to make me feel stupid because…” I trailed off because Mike’s lips suddenly came crashing onto mine.
When he pulled back, he smiled. “Sydney, it’s your birthday. It’s a fresh year and you are a whole new person. I don’t know what you are thinking about, but this is my favorite place in the park.”
I finally understood. He was saying he erased anything bad from when we first met because it didn’t matter anymore, that wasn’t who I am now. I smiled as he placed a huge blanket on the ground and opened the picnic basket (which I later learned his mom put together).
After a wonderful dinner, we lay down on the blanket and cuddled in each other’s arms, stealing a few kisses here and there. Everything was perfect. “This was great, Mike. I love you so much.”
Mike smiled at me. “You ready for your present?”
“You got me a present too? After the picnic?” I sat up, in denial about how great my boyfriend really was and how much he continued to surprise me each day.
Mike reached into the picnic basket and took out a small box. He handed it to me and I opened it to find a silver necklace with a pendant of two hands clasped together. I turned it over and saw it said “Mike & Sydney, New Beginnings.” My eyes started to tear up and I looked up at him. “I love it,” I whispered and leaned in to kiss him.
~~~
Two months later the school year ended and Francie and I made the decision to go to the public school Mike went to instead of another private high school for the following school year. My life had definitely gotten better; Francie and I were best friends, my Mom and I were a lot closer, Mike and I were nearly inseparable and I even became a peer leader at the center.
***************************************************************
Ten Years Later
“Dance with me Mike!” Nadia exclaimed, pulling her brother-in-law onto the dance floor.
“Come on Nadia…I’m hungry! Let me eat something. I don’t have as much energy as a 16 year old, you know,” Mike said, teasing his new sister. Nadia’s response was to stick her tongue out and Mike laughed, following her onto the floor.
“You know, I never thanked you,” Nadia said to Mike as they began to dance.
“Thanked me for what?”
“For caring about my sister enough to help her get through middle school without getting herself killed. I’m so glad you guys met that night she ditched me in the house.” Nadia giggled, remembering how scared she always was when Sydney left her alone.
Mike smiled and picked Nadia up and twirled her around. She laughed. “Well, I guess it turned out to be a good investment of my time.” He glanced over to where Sydney was dancing with her dad and smiled, knowing that she was his to protect for the rest of her life.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you could all please take your seats. Toasts and speeches are about to begin.” Slowly all of the guests responded to the announcement from the band and trickled to their seats.
Mike took his seat next to Sydney and leaned over to kiss her but before he could, she jumped up and clanged her spoon against her glass. Everyone glanced over to see who was causing the noise and quieted down when they saw it was the bride.
“Hi everyone. Thanks for coming. I know it is unusual for the bride to make a speech at her own wedding but there is something very important I had to say. So everyone better listen!” The guests all laughed politely at Sydney. “On a more serious note, I wanted everyone to know how much this particular date means to me. I’m sure many of you are curious as to why I had to get married on this particular date in January, and if today hadn’t fallen on a weekend, I wouldn’t have married Mike until it did.” Sydney smirked down at him. “But this date means more to me than anything. Because on this exact night, ten years ago, an incredibly sensitive, smart, caring guy crossed a very young, confused teenage girl’s path on a cold and snowy night. It took a single glance for this boy to see that the girl was not happy and heading down a bad road in life. And this guy pursued this girl and saved her from a life of nothingness. So if Mike hadn’t walked down the street he walked down on January 18th ten years ago, he wouldn’t have been able to rescue me from turning into a teenage delinquent. So I felt it was only appropriate that we get married on the night my life began again.” Sydney looked around and saw tears coming out of some of the guest’s eyes and that everyone was smiling. She smiled herself and looked down at her new husband, who was sitting there, staring at her in amazement. “I love you, Michael Vaughn.” She leaned down and kissed him deeply and applause could be heard all around them.
“Sydney,” Mike said as she sat back down to wait for the real toasts. She looked at him and smiled. “Syd…you know you saved me too? You saved me from the deep depression I felt when David died. You were my life among the dead.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Your mom told me on the day I first said I loved you. She said you were happier ever since you met me.” Her breathy words fell on his ear like music and he wrapped his arms around her, noticing she had her silver hand necklace on under her dress. They stared into each other’s eyes like they were the only two people in the world and knew that life was complete now that they had each other in every way possible.
“I love you so much Sydney.”
She smiled, and kissed the tip of his nose quickly. “Just remember who said it first.”
The end.
PM's will go out a little later, so again, SORRY to anyone who reads this before I send it out...I didn't ignore you and not send you a PM..
Chapter 11:
“Okay, Miss Bristow. This is the third time I’ve caught you in this bathroom when it smelled like nicotine or marijuana. You are coming with me.”
“But it wasn’t me…I swear! I came to meet Jill Klein… she asked me to come here at 12:30. I swear.”
“Don’t blame others Miss Bristow. Do you have pot on you? Is it in your locker?”
“No, I don’t do that!” The principal was leading me through the hallway and I had tears streaming down my face. We got to my locker and she made me open it. When I did, three bags of pot fell out. “Oh my god…they planted it on me…”
“You know this means suspension Sydney.”
“It’s not mine…I swear! Fingerprint it…you’ll see!!” I collapsed on the floor against the wall, crying. Thank god there were classes going on so no one was in the hallways. However, I didn’t notice that Mrs. Vaughn had seen everything from her doorway and Francie had also been standing at her locker halfway down the hall.
“Get up Miss Bristow, we have to call your parents.”
“I didn’t do it…I swear! Please, why don’t you believe me?”
“What’s going on here?” I heard Mrs. Vaughn’s voice and looked up to see her come over.
“With all due respect, Amy, I don’t think this is a matter than concerns you.”
“I know Sydney personally, Kathleen,” Mrs. Vaughn said. “I’d like to know what happened.” Mrs. Vaughn knelt down next to me and took my hand in hers. “Sydney…can you tell me what happened?”
Sobbing, I told her how Jill asked me to meet her in that note she handed me in homeroom and that the bathroom smelled like pot and no one was in there when I got there and how three bags of it ended up in my locker. By the end of the story, I was crying really hard. “I swear I didn’t do any of this,” I said. Mrs. Vaughn nodded and pulled me up and into a hug.
“Kathleen, with all due respect, I honestly don’t think any of this had to do with Sydney. I know for a fact she attends a program multiple times each week with my son. You know which program I am talking about,” Mrs. Vaughn said firmly, looking the principal in the eye. “I also have both Sydney and Jill Klein in my homeroom and Jill has been avoiding Sydney for months and did ask her to meet her today.”
“I also might have some information to add…” a soft voice broke in. Everyone turned to see Francie standing there.
“Miss Calfo, what do you have to add to this matter?” the principal asked Francie.
“Mrs. Dobson, I saw a group of Sydney’s old friends standing by her locker earlier, laughing and playing around with it. I can name all five students and I heard one of them say, ‘serves her right for ditching us.’”
“Is this true?”
Francie nodded. “Seriously. I thought it was odd they were playing with Sydney’s locker because she hasn’t talked to them since January.”
Mrs. Dobson sighed. “Okay, all three of you are coming to my office to straighten this out.”
Mrs. Dobson, Francie, Mrs. Vaughn and I all walked over to the office and congregated in her office. I briefly went into my history of who I used to be and how I’ve been going to the program since January. Mrs. Vaughn attested to everything since she knew how much time Mike invested in me each week.
“Sydney is a lovely girl, Mrs. Dobson, and a great student. After seeing the young lady she’s become in the past few months, I just can’t imagine she would do something so stupid,” Mrs. Vaughn said firmly.
“I’ve also gotten to know Sydney well.” Francie broke in. “She doesn’t use any of that stuff. I also swear my life on what I saw this morning.”
Mrs. Dobson finally nodded. “Okay, okay. Francie, can you please tell me who you saw this morning so I can talk to them?”
Francie nodded and announced who the kids were. “Jill Klein, Cari Cooper, Lindsay Michaels, Kyle Marks and Brenden Jenkins.”
I sighed, feeling like eight knives were just stabbed into my back.
“Thank you. Francie, you are free to go. Here is a late slip for the class that just started. Amy, do you have a class right now?” Mrs. Vaughn shook her head no at Mrs. Dobson. “Okay. Sydney, I am going to give you the rest of the day off. I’m sorry things happened this way. Do you know how these kids got into your locker?”
I slowly nodded. “We all had each other’s combinations to decorate lockers for birthdays and what not. So they still had mine from when we were friends.”
Mrs. Dobson shook her head and pressed a button on her phone. “Hello, Tina. Can you please bring a new locker padlock in here? Thanks. Sydney, I am giving you a new combination to use.” I nodded in response. “Can someone take you home or do you want to hang out in the library for the rest of the day?”
“Ummm…I can call my mom, I think…” I started to say but Mrs. Vaughn cut me off.
“I’ll take her home, Kathleen. It won’t be a problem and I have plenty of time before my next class. Sydney is a friend of the family so this is not unusual.”
Mrs. Dobson nodded and gave me my new lock and said she’d get my homework from my teachers for me. Mrs. Vaughn walked me to my locker and waited until I got what I needed.
“Mrs. Vaughn, thank you for this but I can get home myself, really.”
“Nonsense. I’m taking you, let’s go.”
I felt a little weird, but followed her out to her car. Once we were settled and on the way to my house, she turned to me. “Sydney, you are my son’s girlfriend. I wish you’d relax and not think of me just as your teacher.”
I turned to stare at her. “You know about me and Mike?”
She chuckled. “Sydney, I am very close with my children and Mike talks to me. He’s a good boy.”
I looked down in horror, realizing she definitely knew about my past extracurricular activities. “So you are probably wondering what a terrible person like myself is doing with your son, who is practically a Saint.”
“Sydney. I do know a little about you from months ago, but not from Mike. He keeps details like that confidential. All Mike tells me is how much he likes spending time with you and that he helped you through a tough time. You girls think teachers don’t hear conversations you have in class but we do. That’s how I know. But I also know how hard you have been working to change and I never thought badly of you. Personally, you do wonders for Mike. That boy has barely smiled since his cousin died and since January, there has been a much lighter air about him. He has been happier about everything, and it’s because of you. So I have a lot to thank you for. You saved my son from turning into a bitter recluse.”
I sat there in shock, not realizing how much my presence in Mike’s life affected him. Before I knew it, we were at my house. I looked at Mrs. Vaughn and smiled. “Thank you, for everything.” I said and leaned over to give her a small hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She smiled back at me.
I got out of the car and went into my house. My mom appeared from the sun room, looking startled when she saw me.
“SYDNEY ANNE BRISTOW. Why are you not in school?” Then she looked at my face, all puffy from crying and came over to hug me. “Sweetie, what happened?” I broke down crying and my mom pulled me over to the couch. “Syd…Sydney…what’s wrong, baby?” She asked, stroking my hair.
“Mom…sit back. I have quite a story to tell.” I spent the next forty-five minutes pouring my heart out to my mom about everything I’ve done since seventh grade, both the good and the bad. My mom actually listened for once and when I was done she looked at me. I braced myself for the screaming I was going to get. However, my mom simply hugged me.
“I’m sorry Sydney. I’m sorry that I failed you as a mother. Maybe we can work on this together… Let’s not tell your father about this. At least not now. And I am really proud of how you are changing yourself and how much you care about your sister.” She pulled me into a hug and we sat there for a while, simply mother and daughter.
***************************************************************
Mike’s POV
During his free study period in the library, Mike felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw it was his mother. “Hi Mom.”
“Michael, listen. Sydney had a tough day. I’m not going to get into it but let’s just say I just drove her home. Use my credit card to get her some nice flowers and go over to her house later.”
“Uh, okay…thanks Mom.” Mike said, feeling a little weird about this phone call, and incredibly nervous about what could have happened to Sydney.
Mike was antsy through the rest of his classes and bolted out of school as fast as he could when the final bell rang. Taking his mom’s advice, he stopped at Johnson’s Flower shop and picked out a cuddly white teddy bear along with some peach roses, which he figured out were Sydney’s favorite. Then he drove as fast as he dared over to her house and practically pounded the door down while knocking.
Irina Bristow finally swung the door open. “Hello Mike,” she said, holding the door open so he could come inside. “I’m assuming your mother informed you that Sydney had a rough day.” Mike nodded. “She’s resting upstairs, but I’m sure she’d be happy to see you. Please go on up, and tell her I’ve also left to go get Nadia.”
“Sure. Thanks Mrs. Bristow.” Mike walked up the stairs and knocked lightly on Sydney’s bedroom door. He didn’t hear anything so he pushed it open gently. He saw she was curled up on her side, asleep, and her long hair was fanned out on the pillow. “She looks like an angel,” he thought, creeping near the bed.
Trying not to make too much noise, he set the flowers and stuffed animal down on her nightstand and gently kissed her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open as he had turned to leave the room.
“Where do you think you are going?” he heard as he was almost to the door. He turned and saw she was staring at him with a smile on her face.
“Syd.” Mike said and walked back over to the bed. He sat down on the edge and put a hand on her leg. “Are you okay?”
Sydney sat up and leaned over to hug Mike. “You could say that. Thank you for my flowers and bear…” she said, finally noticing the gifts.
***************************************************************
“I have the perfect boyfriend,” I thought after spying the gifts he left on my nightstand. “How did you know?” I asked, after thanking him.
“My mom called me to tell me you had a rough day. But I have no idea what happened.”
I sighed, and told him about the day’s ordeal. Mike looked horrified and pulled me close to him, like he wanted to protect me. It was a nice feeling. “I told my mom everything…everything about the past two years. She was really good about it. I think we’ll be closer now…” I said as I ended my story.
Mike leaned over and kissed my nose. “I’m so proud of you, Sydney. You are so strong.”
I leaned into him, smelling his aftershave. “It’s all because of you…Mike…I love you.”
He sat back and looked at me for a minute before breaking out into the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face. “I love you too, Sydney. Now let’s talk about what we’re going to do for your birthday in three days.”
~~~
When I returned the school the next day I learned that three things had happened to my five ex friends. First they were suspended for a week with the incident going on their permanent record. Second, they had to complete ten hours of community service each before the end of the school year. Third, they were all required to attend drug counseling sessions. Francie and I had a good laugh as she told me how the five of them were led down to the office shortly after I left school.
“Dude, I bet Jill is grounded for LIFE,” I said, recalling how strict her parents were. Francie grinned at me and we laughed some more.
Two days later, on Friday, it was my birthday. Francie brought me a balloon and cupcakes in school and I promised her we’d hang out on Sunday. Tonight was reserved for Mike. I knew he had something planned but he wouldn’t tell me exactly what we were doing, just not to eat dinner.
Once school ended I rushed home and opened presents with my family and then went upstairs to change. Staring into my closet, I decided on my favorite pair of jeans and a lavender long sleeve shirt. I put two small butterfly clips that matched my shirt in my hair and touched up the small amount of makeup I had on.
I heard the doorbell ring followed by my sister screeching Mike’s name. I looked in the mirror one more time and bounded down the stairs.
“Happy birthday, Sydney!” Mike said, smiling. I grinned in return.
“Mom, Dad…I’m leaving!” I called into the kitchen where they were eating dinner with Nadia.
“Have fun Sweetheart. Be back by 11…” I heard my mom call.
I smiled widely, realizing she extended my curfew tonight by a half hour. “THANKS!” I screamed and made a mental note to give my mom a big hug in the morning.
Mike took my hand and led me to the car. “Okay, where are we going?” I asked.
He shook his head. “It’s a surprise.” I pouted, but kept my mouth shut. Ten minutes later, after he parked the car and we got out, I realized we were going to the park where we had our first real kiss…the night that I ruined with my stupidity. I glanced at Mike, confused.
“I thought we’d have a picnic dinner in the park,” he said casually.
“Why here?” I asked.
“Why not?” Mike glanced at me slyly. “I like this park.” He smiled and led me over to the exact spot we had been laying on the grass that night. Again, I was completely baffled.
“Okay, Mike. What are you trying to do to me?” I asked. “Are you trying to make me feel stupid because…” I trailed off because Mike’s lips suddenly came crashing onto mine.
When he pulled back, he smiled. “Sydney, it’s your birthday. It’s a fresh year and you are a whole new person. I don’t know what you are thinking about, but this is my favorite place in the park.”
I finally understood. He was saying he erased anything bad from when we first met because it didn’t matter anymore, that wasn’t who I am now. I smiled as he placed a huge blanket on the ground and opened the picnic basket (which I later learned his mom put together).
After a wonderful dinner, we lay down on the blanket and cuddled in each other’s arms, stealing a few kisses here and there. Everything was perfect. “This was great, Mike. I love you so much.”
Mike smiled at me. “You ready for your present?”
“You got me a present too? After the picnic?” I sat up, in denial about how great my boyfriend really was and how much he continued to surprise me each day.
Mike reached into the picnic basket and took out a small box. He handed it to me and I opened it to find a silver necklace with a pendant of two hands clasped together. I turned it over and saw it said “Mike & Sydney, New Beginnings.” My eyes started to tear up and I looked up at him. “I love it,” I whispered and leaned in to kiss him.
~~~
Two months later the school year ended and Francie and I made the decision to go to the public school Mike went to instead of another private high school for the following school year. My life had definitely gotten better; Francie and I were best friends, my Mom and I were a lot closer, Mike and I were nearly inseparable and I even became a peer leader at the center.
***************************************************************
Ten Years Later
“Dance with me Mike!” Nadia exclaimed, pulling her brother-in-law onto the dance floor.
“Come on Nadia…I’m hungry! Let me eat something. I don’t have as much energy as a 16 year old, you know,” Mike said, teasing his new sister. Nadia’s response was to stick her tongue out and Mike laughed, following her onto the floor.
“You know, I never thanked you,” Nadia said to Mike as they began to dance.
“Thanked me for what?”
“For caring about my sister enough to help her get through middle school without getting herself killed. I’m so glad you guys met that night she ditched me in the house.” Nadia giggled, remembering how scared she always was when Sydney left her alone.
Mike smiled and picked Nadia up and twirled her around. She laughed. “Well, I guess it turned out to be a good investment of my time.” He glanced over to where Sydney was dancing with her dad and smiled, knowing that she was his to protect for the rest of her life.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you could all please take your seats. Toasts and speeches are about to begin.” Slowly all of the guests responded to the announcement from the band and trickled to their seats.
Mike took his seat next to Sydney and leaned over to kiss her but before he could, she jumped up and clanged her spoon against her glass. Everyone glanced over to see who was causing the noise and quieted down when they saw it was the bride.
“Hi everyone. Thanks for coming. I know it is unusual for the bride to make a speech at her own wedding but there is something very important I had to say. So everyone better listen!” The guests all laughed politely at Sydney. “On a more serious note, I wanted everyone to know how much this particular date means to me. I’m sure many of you are curious as to why I had to get married on this particular date in January, and if today hadn’t fallen on a weekend, I wouldn’t have married Mike until it did.” Sydney smirked down at him. “But this date means more to me than anything. Because on this exact night, ten years ago, an incredibly sensitive, smart, caring guy crossed a very young, confused teenage girl’s path on a cold and snowy night. It took a single glance for this boy to see that the girl was not happy and heading down a bad road in life. And this guy pursued this girl and saved her from a life of nothingness. So if Mike hadn’t walked down the street he walked down on January 18th ten years ago, he wouldn’t have been able to rescue me from turning into a teenage delinquent. So I felt it was only appropriate that we get married on the night my life began again.” Sydney looked around and saw tears coming out of some of the guest’s eyes and that everyone was smiling. She smiled herself and looked down at her new husband, who was sitting there, staring at her in amazement. “I love you, Michael Vaughn.” She leaned down and kissed him deeply and applause could be heard all around them.
“Sydney,” Mike said as she sat back down to wait for the real toasts. She looked at him and smiled. “Syd…you know you saved me too? You saved me from the deep depression I felt when David died. You were my life among the dead.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Your mom told me on the day I first said I loved you. She said you were happier ever since you met me.” Her breathy words fell on his ear like music and he wrapped his arms around her, noticing she had her silver hand necklace on under her dress. They stared into each other’s eyes like they were the only two people in the world and knew that life was complete now that they had each other in every way possible.
“I love you so much Sydney.”
She smiled, and kissed the tip of his nose quickly. “Just remember who said it first.”
The end.
texasalias2004
Cadet
Great fic. I can't beleive it was 10 years later. haha. Are you going to do a sequel. Send me a pm if you do please.
texasalias
texasalias
Addicted 2 Alias
Cadet
Dude that was the most cutest thing ever lol
i loved it
Aly..x
loli loved it
Aly..x
jessie tubb
Cadet
that was greatand so sweet
the last part made me cry
and it is sad that it is the end cause i loved it
thanks for the pm
the last part made me cry
and it is sad that it is the end
cause i loved it thanks for the pm
UndercoverPhoenix47
Cadet
Omg. That was one of the best fics EVER! I'm sad its over.
GREAT JOB!
wildcatswtie
Cadet
awww....that was SO good!!!!
those stupid kids.....they need to get over themselves...
i'm glad mrs. vaughn and francie stood up for syd
michael is so sweet!!!!
THEY GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!
that was a perfect ending!!
thanks for the pm
shelley
those stupid kids.....they need to get over themselves...
i'm glad mrs. vaughn and francie stood up for syd
michael is so sweet!!!!
THEY GOT MARRIED!!!!!!!!
that was a perfect ending!!
thanks for the pm
shelley
