Author's Note: Hey everyone reading on ff.net, I'm sorry- I screwed up and put up Ch. 6 before Ch. 5. Sorry!  


For the next two weeks or so, Sydney constantly berates herself for throwing away Michael's number.

'What was I thinking?' She wonders to herself frequently, as she goes about the motions of her daily life.

She finds that she thinks about Michael constantly now, her thoughts often occupied with the memory of his voice, his twinkling green eyes, and his inquisitive face.

Although her encounter with him took place over a brief period of time, her feelings are endlessly occupied by recollections of their walk and their tête-à-tête, always ending with her wishing that Amy hadn't interrupted them.

The decision to throw Michael's number had been an impulsive one; one that resulted from haste, embarrassment, and a general fear of having anything to do with someone so closely associated with Amy.

She knows that Michael's probably nothing like Amy- he showed her as much when he took the time to listen to her. Amy would have just scowled or laughed at her. But the paranoia that he'll hurt her like Amy did can't help but seep in.

Coupled with the fact that she's still the school pariah at the moment, ('And it looks like I'll be that one for the rest of my high school career,') she's more than wary of anyone that tries to communicate or even be friends with her.

So she threw the number away, determined to forget about him, determined not to let herself even risk the chance of being hurt again.

Sydney comprehends that her rational and line of thinking is probably stupid, and confusing, but with the added knowledge that she's developed some kind of crush on Michael, she feels the need to be especially careful with her feelings.

She's seen him around school a couple of times since their encounter. Though he's still a "newbie", he seems to have gained friends at a super fast rate, and is always surrounded by a chattering, laughing group of people.

She's thought about approaching him once or twice, but has realized that by approaching him, she may be doing damage to his reputation.

So she's settled for watching him from afar, admiring his happy laugh, and constantly wishing, despite all her rational and logic, that she were there with him.