A/N: Okay, so my muse did not leave me along at all over my break, probably why I'm back after 13 days(I counted too. lol). And yeah, I know, I sneaked on a few times but I just couldn't stay away! It's become like an addiction for me. lol. Oh well, I can just write during math and biology(both of which I dispise more than the cow!). So that means I am continuing this story. Don't party too hard. lol.

And if anyone noticed, in the last chapter I put 'cuties' instead of 'cooties'. That was kind of a mistake. It means the same thing but I forgot that it was an inside joke between me and my friends. So thanks to Shanette for pointing that out to me. She's right, 'cuties' is a way cooler word.

Hope you like the new chapter.

I picked at my salad idly with my fork. It wasn't that I wasn't hungry. It was just that "Jen" had wedding photos and she just "had" to bring them to show me. Why on earth did I ever agree to have dinner with my dad? Better yet, why on earth did Jen have to tag along? I mean wasn't the whole point of having a father/daughter dinner to have some father/daughter time? Not father/daughter and the new wife time. But apparently neither one of them got that memo.

Note to self: Learn from Aimee and Kady and always be busy when Dad wants to have dinner with me.

Why did I always agree to the father/daughter dinner when Aimee and Kady never did? It wasn't like my dad and I were close or anything. If we were close, I would be living with him. No, I take that back, living with him would entail living with Jennifer. And it's not like I really want to do that.

"You don't seem very hungry tonight, Sydney," Dad pointed out, finally noticing that I had yet to eat any of the salad in front of me.

"I had a big lunch," I lied, looking around the restaurant in sheer boredom. It was one of those fancier restaurants where if you even raised your voice a little, you were given dirty looks and thrown out. Another one of Dad's brilliant ideas. I think he choose this one so I wouldn't be able to bolt like at the wedding. After my little stunt –it was officially a stunt now, thanks to Mom and that damned book of hers- I don't think Dad would let me out of his sight.

Jen, completely oblivious to anything that had nothing to do with the wedding photos, finally decided to join the rest of us in reality. She closed the photo album, suddenly and I though that she was going to put it away. No such luck. She picked it up and handed it across the table to me. I took it, holding it like it was a bomb and would explode at any second.

"Just take it home with you and you can look at whenever you want."

I imagine that my expression was somewhere between utter shock and complete disgust. Thankfully, only Dad seemed to notice. Which meant with a promise never to do it again and all that crap, I would get away with it. "Gee, Jen, I don't know what to say." And I really wasn't lying. Not much, but a start.

"You don't have to say anything," Jen reassured me cheerfully.

You have no idea how much I wanted to reach across the table and stab her with my fork.

Does that make me a bad person?

Yeah, don't answer that.

"Okay," I said, trying not to sound overly happy about that. I set the album on the booth seat next to me and turned back to my salad. Taking on overdramatic sigh, I actually took of bite of it. Not bad, could have been better if a certain blonde wasn't there...coughjencoughcough.

"So, Sydney, where were you when I called?"

Gee, Dad, that's an odd question. I shrugged, and started picking at the salad again. "A party."

His look told me that was the absolute worst answer I could have given. "A party?" He repeated. "With who?"

I suspected that he thought I went with Kady. Yeah, no such luck, Dad. Good girl Sydney went with a boy. That's right, a boy. "Vaughn." I swear he about exploded when I said Vaughn's name instead of Kady's.

"Who?"

"He's just a guy I know."

"From where?"

Gee, Dad, go easy on the third degree here. "School." I felt like testing Dad and his patience, so I added. "And as far as I know, he hasn't gotten any girl pregnant. But if I'm real lucky, and we don't use one of those pesky condoms, I bet I can change that."

Dad knew all about my school's rep for teen mothers and I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. I tasted blood but it was totally worth it. "Excuse me? Sydney Anne Bristow," Uh oh, I've been middle named. That can't be good. "If you for one minute think that I'm going to let you run around..."

Okay, I've had enough. Geez, Dad, learn to take a joke. "Dad?" He stopped his rant for a second, waiting angrily for my reply, "I was just kidding. Vaughn's cool but I don't like him like that. We're just friends." He still looked like he was going to kill me but I still say that it was totally worth it. See Dad, you torture me by marrying the bimbo and I torture you with the idea of me getting pregnant. Payback's a bitch, isn't it?

And to add a bonus, Jen was absolutely shocked at my joke. Sydney: two points. Dad and the bimbo: none. Ha ha, I win!

I really should stop drinking coffee.

Not long after my new little stunt –I can pretty much guarantee that it would be labeled a stunt too, when Mom found out about it, which she most likely would. My parents can't agree on anything but how to run my life. Unfair much? - Dad and Jen dropped me off back at the house, with the all hated promise to call me later sometime that week.

I waited until Dad and Jen drove off to open the front door. "Mom?" No answer. Odd, it wasn't that late. "Kady? Aimee?" Still nothing, very odd. "Hello? Anyone home?" Silence. Either I should be ecstatic that I finally had the house to myself or offended that I wasn't invited along to wherever everyone has disappeared to. I'll settle for being semi ecstatic and a little offended.

Grabbing a soda from the fridge, I headed towards the living room, fully intending to flop on the couch and just veg out watching TV until I fell asleep. I flicked on the lights and gasped, turning around slightly so I faced the wall behind me. "Oh, God." I covered my eyes even though I was facing away from them. "I'm sorry. Oh, God, am I sorry." Does anyone know how traumatic it is to find your mom and some mystery guy going at it on your living room couch? If not, it's enough to make you want to gauge your eyes out.

I guess I can officially kiss the my parents getting back together idea goodbye.

"Sydney, wait." Mom called out just as I turned to leave the room.

Why Mom? Why must I stay? I don't want an explanation. I want to go back to be innocent, well maybe not innocent per say, not after my comment at dinner. I obeyed and stayed put but I still faced the wall.

"Turn around," Mom instructed.

Damn you Mom. I did as I was told, but kept my eyes glued to the ground.

"Sydney, this is my..." She paused, she actually paused. "...friend..." Nice, real nice. You can just say that you have a freaking boyfriend, it's not like I'm going to care. "...Arvin."

"Hi, Arvin," I mumbled, staring intently at the carpet. For some crazy reason, I started to think of strange nicknames for Mom's new 'friend'. Arvin was just too bland, too soon to say 'Dad' to him, ooh, I know, 'Daddy Arvin'. I wonder how fast he would run out of here if I said that. Interesting theory but I've been pushing it too much tonight.

Seriously, I need to lay off the coffee.

"I have homework," I said, glancing upwards for her consent to leave. She gave it and I fled the room, dodging up the stairs two at a time until I reached my room. I didn't mean to slam the door behind but I did in my mad dash for my phone, which I had left at home on Dad's request. I started to dial Francie's number before I remembered the time.

Damnit. Francie turns off the ringer on her phone after eight so no one can disturb Allison. The option of running across the street was there but that would mean going downstairs and that was not an option until tomorrow morning and only because I had to.

The only other people I could call were the girls that I met at work and they all had kids and I really don't want to be responsible for screaming babies. Come on, think, there has to be someone to call. I scrolled through the address book until the name 'Sexist pig' appeared. Wait, I didn't put that number in here. But Vaughn did. He took my phone and refused to give it back for five minutes. I just assumed that he was playing a game or something.

After debating it for a couple minutes, I pressed the call button and listen to the automatic dialing of Vaughn's number and then the ringing. I think like three rings later, someone picked up. Someone, as in not Vaughn.

"Hello?"

"Um...is Vaughn there?"

I could her the woman's exasperated sigh before she said, "Yes, hold on." She lowered the phone from her ear and yelled, "Michael! There's a girl on the phone for you!" There was some background noise before I heard Vaughn coming and the woman saying, "Tell your friends that your name is Michael, not Vaughn."

"Yes, Aunt Trish." He answered before taking the phone from her. So that was Aunt Trish. She doesn't sound crazy. And why was his home number in my phone? Doesn't he have a cell? "So, I had a great time last night, beautiful."

I was speechless. Did he even know who he was talking to? "What?"

"I guessed right, it is Sydney." He answered, joyfully. "I still had fun, though."

"I didn't see you last night," I reminded him.

"That's what you think." He replied.

"Ew! Vaughn, I didn't need to hear that." I screeched. He laughed. "So glad that I amuse you, Michael

That shut him up. "Okay, I'm sorry. So what's up?"

"Nothing much, unless you call catching my mom making out with 'Arvin' on the couch," I answered, sitting on the edge of my bed.

He chuckled, not quite a laugh but really close. "Who's Arvin?"

"Her new 'friend'," I said, stressing the word friend. "Which I assume means boyfriend."

"Most likely," He paused, "So why'd you call me instead of Francie?"

"Because Francie turns off her phone after eight."

"Why?"

"So no one wakes up Allison." Yet another silence. Why do they always seem to happen around Vaughn? It's not like he's boring. It's like we don't even need to talk to enjoy being in each other's company. Did I just say, 'in each other's company'? That is it. No more coffee for me. But chocolate I can still have. I got off the bed and crossed to my closet to fish out another chocolate bar from last week. So sue me, I bought a lot. "Why? You don't want to talk to me?"

"Of course I do!" He said, immediately and a little too forcefully, like he didn't realize that I was kidding. "Why? You don't want to talk to me?"

"Of course!" I said in the same tone as him, both making me laugh and confused at the same time. Why was I so quick to defend my wanting to talk to Vaughn?

"So we're at an agreement."

"It looks that way." I answered, before adding. "Did you just say, 'we're at an agreement'?"

"Stop making fun of me, Sydney." He replied.

"I'm sorry, Vaughn, I'll try not to in the future." I said, as I lay back on my bed, chocolate bar firmly in hand.

"I'll hold you to that."

"So, what'd you do today?" I asked, settling farther into my bed.

He started to tell me about his day and some bits about the day before. I listened, intently, chuckling sometimes when he said something funny but I couldn't stop the growing fuzziness of his voice as sleep decided to claim me. I didn't mean to fall asleep but I did.

"Sydney? Hello?" Bits of his voice started to come back to me, as I started to shake off sleep. "Sydney?"

I sat up suddenly, causing a head rush but I didn't care. I freaking fell asleep while I was on the phone with Vaughn! "Oh my God," I said, glancing at the time, and noticing that it was about an hour after I had called him.

"You fell asleep on me!" He yelled, accusingly but laughing at the same time.

"I know," I groaned, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear out of habit.

"Am I really that boring?" He asked, still laughing.

"No, I'm just really that tired," I wasn't really but I couldn't explain why I had fallen asleep while on the phone with him. I had never done that before. Not with anyone, including Francie. I wanted to die because I was so damn embarrassed.

"You still fell asleep on me!" He answered, "I can't believe you!"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm over it." He answered, almost immediately. "And since you're so tired, I'll let you go, so you can sleep without me bothering you."

"Alright," I replied, knowing that he was kidding.

"Okay, and don't forget about Tuesday." He reminded me.

I smiled at his persistence, "I won't."

"And no falling asleep then either."

dolphingurl1- Yeah, I call it names and I hit also, too! But my comp is such a piece of crap that it deserves every word I yell at it.

Maeve of the nile- Yeah, I know Vaughn isn't like he usually is, in some ways, but that's what makes him so darn cute!

Five Stories Fallen- I won't stop. Don't worry. Yeah, I like that she keeps talking to herself too. She sounds like me and that's what scares me. lol.

Loozy- lol. Okay. There is more! I love that you wrote 'more' over and over and over and over and over and over! lol.

Charmed-angel4- Nope, sorry, not first this time. Try harder next time! lol.

angryapplepie- lol. I know, he is like the actual vaughn but not. Yeah, I thought it would be funny for him to be excited about her phone call. He's such an easily amused guy. lol. I wanna met Aunt Trish sometime too! They should have her on the show cause she sounds cool, even though she's only mentioned in like one episode. lol.

chickiee-dee- Yes, this is posted at sd-1. and my name on that is Vaughn'n'Syd4eva, so when you get the PM for an update, don't like freak out and think that it's some crazy person. lol. I got like six years to go before it's legal for me to drink. It's gonna be a long wait. lol.

largemarge416- I will send you the chap over email. I was going to do it with this chapter but I was busy and didn't really have the time, so next time, okay? It is cool that we are the same age. And I'm not really from the south. When I first moved to Colorado, which is where I live, my friends say that they thought I lived in the south before because I had a southern sounding accent. I still have it but that's not the point. And they called me a southern bell and that's where it comes from.

Spykid18- Thanks. I love it when people say that they think I am a good writer. Compliment = me very happy! :)

generva- I know, but I'm going to try to not let school interfere with this story but I can't promise anything. I am coming back to it, it's just that updates might take a little while. The name of the last chapter came from syd and vaughn's nicknames for each other. SP= sexist pig. and CHB= cold heartless bitch. and I love lengthy reviews. Make me so happy!