Brief day before build up to the dance. Get ready for the Sydrian moment you've been waiting for in the next chapter. Just a note: I don't own these characters. They belong to Richelle Mead, genius author.

XOXO

-M

I was practically vibrating the day before the dance. Adrian picked me up at my house and asked me three times on the way to school how much coffee I had before he picked me up.

"Maybe try decaf, Sage. You look like you are ready to run a marathon."

"Adrian, you promised me you would never say the "d" word again. It's like you're cursing at me every time you say it," I joked.

We got to school and found our rag tag group of friends. Jill came up to me, practically glowing. "SYDNEY! IT WORKED!" she squealed excitedly, jumping up and down.

I couldn't help but bounce along with her. I hugged her and thanked her again. We launched into a conversation about getting ready tomorrow. She said she had been watching makeup and hair tutorials all week and found something she thought would be perfect for me. I felt like a shaken up can of Coke. So full and bubbly, I might explode.

It didn't even fade when I got to bio and saw Rose who seemed like she wanted to apologize and rip my face off at the same time.

"Look, Sydney. I'm sorry stuff went down with me and Adrian, but you didn't have to call me a slut. You think I didn't feel guilty about him catching me and Dimitri? Yeah, I felt bad. But I knew we weren't serious. He said so! And I… I had history with Dimitri. He had just got back into town and I… I don't have to justify this to you. Should I get a new lab partner or will we be able to get through it?" she exclaimed with a huff.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I was just really angry yesterday. I'm pretty protective of Adrian. He's my closest friend and has been for years. It's not my fight to get into. Your history with Adrian is between the two of you. If you think we can get past this, I'm willing to put yesterday behind us. Okay?" I extended my hand to her and she cautiously shook it.

"Just don't hurt him again or else it will be my fight," I said levelling her with a cool stare.

She nodded. "I respect that, Sage."

The rest of my day went well. Rose and Lissa sat with us at lunch and Adrian kept his cool. Lissa turned out to be really sweet and clever. She said she already had a date with a guy in her Econ class named Christian. She said he wanted to take her out to dinner. Adrian piped up and recommended his favorite food joint, Pies and Stuff. I reminded him that pie isn't exactly "dinner food". He rolled his eyes.

"Sage, pie is a versatile food. It can be anything it wants to be."

We worked out all the details for the dance. I would drive to Jill's at two (apparently it would take an excruciatingly long time to get ready by Jill's calculations). The boys would get there at 7:15. Adrian would pick me up in his Mustang and Eddie would get Jill in his Nissan Altima. Eddie had finally got the balls to ask Jill to the dance after hearing her say this morning that she still didn't have a date. After pictures and such, we'd get to the school about 8:00. Jill said that the dance should be in full swing at that time and it would be the perfect time for our "red carpet worthy entrance".

I got through the rest of the day with a smile plastered on my face. Ms. Terwilliger noticed and told me whatever I was doing, I should keep up. I also that the tip jar was filling up faster than normal. I guess people really do respond better to super cheery workers. I tried to keep my mood subdued at home, as to not tip off my father to anything suspicious. I told him the fake plan: I would go to Jill's at two and would study my brains out until the next day. He told me once again that he was proud of my actions last night and left it at that. I went to bed, spinning ideas of tomorrow in my head.