Author's Note: I'd really like to apologize for just how bad this chapter is. Seriously. I wouldn't blame anyone if they got annoyed with me and stopped reading.



Michael stares at her in disbelief, shock etched into his face. He's never been into the whole un-academic lengths some people would do to get good grades, and he's not afraid to show it. "They stole an exam answer key? What? And how?"

Sydney raises her shoulders slightly, in the universal 'Not sure' gesture. "Honestly? I really don't know and I really don't care to know. It's shady enough as it is. "

Michael's slightly stunned by her story. He knew that Amy and her friends had a wild side to them, but he never would've thought of them as cheaters and thieves.

"Okay. So go on. They stole an exam. And…?"

"They stole an exam, passed it along to everyone else in the class. Amy took charge of the 'operation', and began charging money for copies."

'So not only is she a thief and a cheater, but she's running a black market ring too?' Michael wonders in astonishment. 'Damn. Amy's changed a lot.'

Michael's been a little wary about seeing Amy again. He arrived in the morning and went directly to the school, so he hasn't had a chance to see her yet- and now his wariness has grown into downright uncertainty.

Michael looks out at the rain for a moment, which seems to be lessening. Rain is coming down in thinner sheets now, and there's actually more than a 10-feet visibility.

Sydney continues with the story. "I was offered a copy, but I turned it down. No matter how inconvenient the exam was, it just didn't seem right to me." She pauses and glances up at Michael, before adding, "I don't want to come off as a do-gooder or anything, but I turned them in."

"Good for you."

"Yeah, I thought so too, but that was before Amy decided to declare revenge on me for having her, and almost the entire squad suspended." Sydney hesitates, but plunges onward. "I normally hate talking about people in a negative tone…but Amy was really mean to me after I got them in trouble. She spread a lot of rumors about me…"

Sydney trails off, and for a moment, looks as if she's about to cry. Michael, noting this, gets off the bench, dusts off his pants, and takes a seat in front of her, sitting in Indian-style.

"Sydney?" He pauses uncertainly, not sure what to say. "It's okay…you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay. You wanted to know. And you have a right to know. You are Amy's cousin, after all."

Michael flinches slightly, but chooses to ignore the rather pointed tone.

Sydney stares at him for a moment, but continues.

"Amy made up a lot of stuff about me…about how I like to party…do drugs…you know…stupid stuff that people normally wouldn't believe if it hadn't come from the popular crowd. She also made up some large elaborate lie about my going after a guy she liked…. she got her friends to spread these rumors…soon, I was on some kind social blacklist, and people wouldn't talk to me for fear of risking Amy's wrath." Despite the breaks in speaking, now that Sydney's gotten the story out, she, (to Michael anyway,) looks a lot better.

"Most of my friends…the few I made anyway all started hanging out with other people."
Sydney's eyes start watering again, and Michael, after rummaging through the pockets of his pea coat, pulls out a crumbled tissue and hands it to her.

"Thanks." Sydney blows her nose, and pats gingerly at her eyes.

By now, the rain has lessened to a few displaced drops, and the sun is slowly beginning to peek out. A wayward ray of light shines through the clouds and hits the duo, effectively lighting and illuminating them.

"So yeah, that's my story." Despite the teary eyes and the watery nose, Sydney now has a smile on her face, illuminated by the wan golden rays caressing her face.

Though he knows he should be serious at the minute, and shouldn't be thinking of trivial matters, Michael takes the opportunity to notice that even with the teary eyes and the red nose, Sydney is indeed pretty. He wasn't just kidding around with her earlier when he told her that in French; He really does think she's beautiful.

'Get your mind on track!' Michael silently tells himself. 'Stop trying to hit on a girl when she's down.'

Michael clears his throat, and looks at her. "Sydney…Syd…I'm sorry."

Sydney looks taken aback for a moment, but then vigorously shakes her head. "What are you sorry for? It's not your fault. You're not the one who was spreading rumors."

"Yeah, but I feel like I should be apologizing for Amy. Amy, well, let's just say that she really isn't aware she has a brain half the time. You see-"

As Michael opens his mouth to explain the various reasons behind his cousin's shortcomings, he's interrupted by a voice behind him.

"Michael! MICHAEL! There you are! I've been looking ALL over for you!"