Author's Note: The fluffiness will gradually die down for the next three or four chapters. But it'll be back soon. J It's just going on a vacation.

Ding-Dong!

"Sydney! Your ride is here, caro!"

Sydney, who's frantically brushing through her hair at the moment, grimaces as she hears her nanny's announcement. "Okay, I'll be right there!"

Grabbing her lip-gloss and dashing a coat across her lips, Sydney quickly checks her reflection in the mirror. 'Okay, I don't think I look *too* bad. Michael and Eric might actually not regret asking me.'

Sydney takes a deep breathe and tries to calm the frantic beating of her heart.

She hadn't had a lot of trouble getting permission to go to the party. Her father was out of town again, 'Like usual', and Sydney had told her nanny that she was just going to hang out with 'friends'.

Delighted at hearing her charge using the words 'hang out' and 'friends' in a sentence, her nanny had been more than happy to give her permission. "Of course, Sydney! You must go to this little get-together with your friends!" She had said, after giving Sydney a kiss on both cheeks.

Sydney neglected to mention that a senior was hosting the 'get-together', but figures that if it was as harmless as Will and Eric seemed to imply, then it probably wasn't a big deal.

"Sydney? Pressa acima!"

"I'm coming!" Racing to the closet, Sydney grabs a coat, and pulls it on while racing down the hallway and then down stairs. As she thunders down the cream-covered steps, she slows down a bit, wanting to make a demure entrance.

Reaching the final set of stairs, Sydney's mad dash slows into a delicate walk. 'I don't Michael to think I'm a little kid or anything…' She thinks, while fanning her face, trying to get rid of the dash-induced flush.

Michael and her nanny are standing in the foyer, chatting animatedly. Michael, who's wearing a blue shirt and a pair of khakis, is gesturing animatedly, while Sydney's nanny looks on, obviously charmed by the good-looking young man.

"And then, my Aunt Trish realizes that the llama that she was raising has gotten out and is probably wandering the neighborhood. She runs upstairs, wakes all of us up and starts screaming 'The llamas are loose! The llamas ar-" Michael pauses as he spots Sydney.
Michael's eyes light up, and he grins at her happily. "Hey Sydney! You look…you look very pretty." He stammers slightly, when noticing her simple black tank top and denim skirt.

"Hey Michael!" Sydney returns quietly, red staining her cheeks again. 'Oh no, not again' Sydney begins fanning herself casually; hoping Michael won't notice how nervous she is.

"Well, you two! Have a good time tonight, okay? And Michael, I want Sydney back by 11:00, aprovação? She has a curfew, você sabe?"

Sydney's nanny, obviously noticing the uncomfortable silence between the two, gently begins shoving Sydney and Michael out the door. "And Sydney, you were right. He is a very considerável man. Have fun tonight, caro. Tenha cuidado, aprovado?" Sydney's nanny adds this last statement in a conspiring whisper to Sydney as she gets ready to close the door behind the blushing girl.

Michael and Sydney stand outside on the stoop for a moment, neither of them making eye contact. Finally, Michael turns to look at Sydney and then, simultenously, both of them start laughing.

"So, that was your nanny?" Michael asks, obviously relieved the tension has been broken between them. "Come on, my car's this way." Michael walks towards the driveway.

"Yeah. She's been caring for me since I was little. My dad's not around a lot- he works for Jenning's Aerospace and has to travel- so Marinna takes care of me. She's from Portugal and speaks Portuguese a lot." Sydney stops for a minute as she takes in the sight of Michael's car.

A red BMW is sitting in her driveway, gleaming in what is obviously brand-new condition.

"Wow. Nice car." Sydney tells Michael, impressed.

Michael ducks his head, obviously embarassed. "Thanks. It was an early Christmas present from my aunt and uncle- Amy's parents. They said that with my good grades, I deserved some kind of reward."

Michael kicks at the cement driveway thoughtfully. "Truthfully, I would've been fine with a more low-key car. I kind of feel like I'm trying to show off or something, by driving this." Shaking his head, Michael turns to Sydney. "Never mind. So what do you say? Are you ready to go?"

Sydney smiles at him. "Sure, I'm ready as I'll ever be."


Caro = dear
Pressa acima = hurry up
Aprovação = okay
Considerável = handsome
Tenha cuidado, aprovado = Take care, okay?