Author's Note:
Just to clarify, Sydney didn't know Alice was going to take her to Mrs. Vaughn's house. :)
Michael Vartan is about 6 ft, isn't he? Cuz I think my "size 13" shoe is a little big…but my friend is a little bit taller than 6 ft, and he wears size 14…so that works, right? oh well. It's fiction.
Sydney returned home that night, exhausted from pouring her heart out to Mrs. Vaughn. Delorme…as she insisted Sydney to call her. Delorme had listened carefully, and in turn, she told Sydney of Vaughn's childhood, and all the good memories that came along with it. During that time, Alice had returned with the groceries, and Delorme had insisted her go home.
"Sydney! Where were you? We were about to send out a search team!" Francie exclaimed, bombarding Sydney with words as soon as Sydney walked through the door.
"Will was freaked. I sent him home though, but he said to tell you to call him when you got back," Francie said.
"Sorry Fran…I got caught up."
"For five hours?"
"I saw an old friend," Sydney replied, surprised that they were talking for five hours straight.
"Anyone I know?"
"Nope. I'm going to bed now, good night Fran," Sydney said suddenly.
"What's that?"
"What? Oh…just something she gave me."
"All right then…good night Syd," Francie replied, but the look on her face said, "This conversation's not over."
--
Sydney placed the shoebox down softly on her bed, and changed into her pajamas. Then she returned to her bed, and studied the box carefully before opening it. The box was labeled "NIKE – Size 13." She didn't know if it was once Mr. Vaughn's, or Vaughn's.
Sydney lifted the cover off lightly, and set it on her pillow. She peered down into the box, and didn't know what to do: to cry, or to smile. So she did both. She lifted up the picture, and stared at it for a while, with a lone tear running down her cheek, and a light smile creeping into her face.
Vaughn as a little kid, hair hanging straight down. He was hanging upside-down on the jungle gym from his knees, his shirt hem grazing his chin. Vaughn looked so happy. Vaughn…no, that sounds too old for a little kid. Michael…Michael looked so happy. But somehow, the name "Michael" came out too awkwardly. Vaughn it was. He had a little cute smile on his face that just seemed to make everything appear brighter.
Sydney figured that at this pace, she would never get through everything in the shoebox. So she placed the picture down carefully next to her, and picked up the next photo. It went on for hours. There weren't that many pictures, but Sydney always scrutinized each one, as if to memorize Vaughn's facial expressions. To hell with never getting through everything, she thought.
--
Most pictures featured Vaughn with a smile, but a few captured Sydney's attention. A picture of a small Vaughn, eyes and nose wet and watery, looking dejected and desolate. In the background, she could see slabs of gray stone, and concluded that the picture was taken at his father's funeral. Sydney had heard about Vaughn's father through Vaughn, but he had never expressed any emotion about it. Sure, he said it was a hard time, but that he didn't understand anything that was happening. Now, with this picture, Sydney had tangible evidence that his father's death had affected Vaughn, even as a little kid.
Another picture was of Vaughn and Alice. The one that had once occupied a space on his desk. Vaughn looked so happy in the picture, his arm around Alice…their happy smiles. Was this picture in here for a reason? Sydney asked herself. Did Delorme go through these and forget to take this out? Or maybe she never planned on giving these away. Hell, I know I would never give these to some stranger, Sydney thought. Scratch that…I would never give these to anyone.
A knock on her door startled her. She hurried to put the pictures back in the box, all the while wiping her tears.
"Who is it?" she called out, just as the knob turned.
"Syd? It's me, Will," he replied, walking into her room.
Sydney closed the box hastily, and slid it under her pillow, and sat in front of it.
"Hey," she responded, acting as if nothing was wrong.
"What's up?" Will asked, looking around her room, as if he was looking for something.
"Nothing," Sydney replied, feeling awkward.
"What's this?" Will questioned, holding up a picture he had found wedged between the pillows.
"Hm?" Sydney responded, looking at the picture. It was the picture of Vaughn and Alice. "Oh, it's just for this project I have to do."
"Really? What's it about?"
"Something about…models," she replied quickly, spitting out the first thing that came to mind.
"Models. Interesting."
Sydney took the picture and placed it on her nightstand, away from Will.
"So, what's up?"
"What do you mean?" Will asked, feigning innocence.
"You just left, and now you're back. Something's up."
"I came to…see if you were all right."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Syd, you were gone for almost five hours. Tell me what's normal about that," he crossed his arms across his chest.
"I met an old friend," Sydney responded.
"Are you sure nothing else is wrong? You can tell me, you know that don't you?"
"Yes Will. I know," she replied patiently. Changing the subject, she said, "Did you ever go get those teeth checked out?"
"Yeah, last week," Will responded, giving Sydney a strange look.
"What?"
"You mean you never noticed that huge ice pack I had to lug around on my face?"
Sydney let out an almost inaudible sound. "Well, I guess you're fine."
The strange look was still there.
-
Please review! Good or bad, I don't care…just do it! Lol. Thanks!!
Just to clarify, Sydney didn't know Alice was going to take her to Mrs. Vaughn's house. :)
Michael Vartan is about 6 ft, isn't he? Cuz I think my "size 13" shoe is a little big…but my friend is a little bit taller than 6 ft, and he wears size 14…so that works, right? oh well. It's fiction.
Sydney returned home that night, exhausted from pouring her heart out to Mrs. Vaughn. Delorme…as she insisted Sydney to call her. Delorme had listened carefully, and in turn, she told Sydney of Vaughn's childhood, and all the good memories that came along with it. During that time, Alice had returned with the groceries, and Delorme had insisted her go home.
"Sydney! Where were you? We were about to send out a search team!" Francie exclaimed, bombarding Sydney with words as soon as Sydney walked through the door.
"Will was freaked. I sent him home though, but he said to tell you to call him when you got back," Francie said.
"Sorry Fran…I got caught up."
"For five hours?"
"I saw an old friend," Sydney replied, surprised that they were talking for five hours straight.
"Anyone I know?"
"Nope. I'm going to bed now, good night Fran," Sydney said suddenly.
"What's that?"
"What? Oh…just something she gave me."
"All right then…good night Syd," Francie replied, but the look on her face said, "This conversation's not over."
--
Sydney placed the shoebox down softly on her bed, and changed into her pajamas. Then she returned to her bed, and studied the box carefully before opening it. The box was labeled "NIKE – Size 13." She didn't know if it was once Mr. Vaughn's, or Vaughn's.
Sydney lifted the cover off lightly, and set it on her pillow. She peered down into the box, and didn't know what to do: to cry, or to smile. So she did both. She lifted up the picture, and stared at it for a while, with a lone tear running down her cheek, and a light smile creeping into her face.
Vaughn as a little kid, hair hanging straight down. He was hanging upside-down on the jungle gym from his knees, his shirt hem grazing his chin. Vaughn looked so happy. Vaughn…no, that sounds too old for a little kid. Michael…Michael looked so happy. But somehow, the name "Michael" came out too awkwardly. Vaughn it was. He had a little cute smile on his face that just seemed to make everything appear brighter.
Sydney figured that at this pace, she would never get through everything in the shoebox. So she placed the picture down carefully next to her, and picked up the next photo. It went on for hours. There weren't that many pictures, but Sydney always scrutinized each one, as if to memorize Vaughn's facial expressions. To hell with never getting through everything, she thought.
--
Most pictures featured Vaughn with a smile, but a few captured Sydney's attention. A picture of a small Vaughn, eyes and nose wet and watery, looking dejected and desolate. In the background, she could see slabs of gray stone, and concluded that the picture was taken at his father's funeral. Sydney had heard about Vaughn's father through Vaughn, but he had never expressed any emotion about it. Sure, he said it was a hard time, but that he didn't understand anything that was happening. Now, with this picture, Sydney had tangible evidence that his father's death had affected Vaughn, even as a little kid.
Another picture was of Vaughn and Alice. The one that had once occupied a space on his desk. Vaughn looked so happy in the picture, his arm around Alice…their happy smiles. Was this picture in here for a reason? Sydney asked herself. Did Delorme go through these and forget to take this out? Or maybe she never planned on giving these away. Hell, I know I would never give these to some stranger, Sydney thought. Scratch that…I would never give these to anyone.
A knock on her door startled her. She hurried to put the pictures back in the box, all the while wiping her tears.
"Who is it?" she called out, just as the knob turned.
"Syd? It's me, Will," he replied, walking into her room.
Sydney closed the box hastily, and slid it under her pillow, and sat in front of it.
"Hey," she responded, acting as if nothing was wrong.
"What's up?" Will asked, looking around her room, as if he was looking for something.
"Nothing," Sydney replied, feeling awkward.
"What's this?" Will questioned, holding up a picture he had found wedged between the pillows.
"Hm?" Sydney responded, looking at the picture. It was the picture of Vaughn and Alice. "Oh, it's just for this project I have to do."
"Really? What's it about?"
"Something about…models," she replied quickly, spitting out the first thing that came to mind.
"Models. Interesting."
Sydney took the picture and placed it on her nightstand, away from Will.
"So, what's up?"
"What do you mean?" Will asked, feigning innocence.
"You just left, and now you're back. Something's up."
"I came to…see if you were all right."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Syd, you were gone for almost five hours. Tell me what's normal about that," he crossed his arms across his chest.
"I met an old friend," Sydney responded.
"Are you sure nothing else is wrong? You can tell me, you know that don't you?"
"Yes Will. I know," she replied patiently. Changing the subject, she said, "Did you ever go get those teeth checked out?"
"Yeah, last week," Will responded, giving Sydney a strange look.
"What?"
"You mean you never noticed that huge ice pack I had to lug around on my face?"
Sydney let out an almost inaudible sound. "Well, I guess you're fine."
The strange look was still there.
-
Please review! Good or bad, I don't care…just do it! Lol. Thanks!!