OMV!! I am so freaking sorry that I haven't been updating!! I've been super busy, I have play rehearsal three time a week, and then I have a hell of a lot more school work and I'm hanging out with my friends more cause I no longer have a job and my muse, Clio has officially been declared dead by me. so yeah…I'm making excuses…please don't kill me.

"I don't like him," I insisted, then holding up a half used bottle of nail polish from Francie's dresser, "What do you think about this color?"

"You do too," Francie insisted back. Her head tilted to the side a little, seeing the bottle of nail polish I had in my hand. "Um, no...remember the last time you used it?"

I grimaced and nodded. How could I forget that incident? To put it simply, somehow my nails ended up stained an ugly green color. Odd enough but even weirder considering the nail polish was red. Even better question, why didn't she toss this nail polish? "Oh yeah, thanks, tossing," I said, throwing the vile nail bottle into the trash, and then Francie freaked.

"Syd! What'd you do that for?" She screeched.

"It was crap, and I thought that you threw crap away." I answered.

"It wasn't crap," She defended, and then actually reaching into the trash and pulling out the nail polish out and setting back on her dresser.

"It stains your nails green!" I answered. "Icky ew green!"

"I know that," She snapped. Then softening her tone, she added, "Charlie gave it to me."

Okay, so I'm an idiot. Agreed? I should have known that. It's my job at best friend to know these things. So why didn't I? Well, that's more complicated. I'm going to give the eightball answer and say: Ask again later.

"Oh, Fran, I shouldn't have-"

She interrupted me. I don't think she's ever done that before. "It's okay, Syd. If I didn't meet him, I wouldn't have Allison." This kinda of nostalgic look touched her eyes as she glanced over to the crib where Allison was taking a quick afternoon nap, a rarity lately. I swear, with every passing day, she seems to stay awake longer and not want or need her nap at all.

Francie and me decided to just hang out today, no men or talk of them and yet somehow we got to the topic of me liking Vaughn. How? I have no idea. It just kinda happened, about an hour and a half ago, and she hasn't shut up about it. Yeah, so for the past month we've been hanging out and talking on the phone and he and Eric always eat lunch with us everyday, but that doesn't automatically mean that I have a crush on him. Or does it? I'm really not good with this relationship stuff.

Francie's always been the one with the relationship guru thing going on. Ever since we were little and elementary school, she was always the more comfortable one around guys. She'd be the one boys would pass notes to in class, asking her to go out with them for like a day, in those cute innocent little relationships that mean absolutely nothing to either person. I'd be the one passing the note back to her.

And then came Charlie and all his glory.

He was captain of the football team. He was nice. He was smart, a rare thing for those footballs players -I swear I asked one of them what two plus two was and he looked at me blankly. He was sweet. He was charming. If I hadn't known the guy all my life and thought of him as a brother and in no way a boyfriend, I probably would have fallen for him too. And Francie fell hard. Every conversation we had in some way mentioned Charlie and all his brilliance. I was happy for her but jealously decided to rear its ugly head and I started to resent that she would rather spend time with him and not me.

It didn't help that my parents were fighting at all hours of the day and that I had no one else to talk to but Francie who was too damn busy with Charlie to remember that I was her best friend.

Can you imagine the horrible amount of guilt I had when Charlie died? When Francie called me to come over, saying that she had something to tell me about Charlie, I was so close from just saying that I was busy and couldn't. I really didn't want to listen to her go on and on about how wonderful Charlie was. But then I remembered that she was my best friend and best friends do stuff like that for each other. So I agreed. Let's just say that she didn't want to gush about how great her relationship with Charlie was.

The funeral was three days after that day.

Two months later, Francie called me to come over again. This time, she thought she was pregnant. So we went out to the store, bought one of the home tests, went back home, she went into the bathroom, emerged three minutes later with tears on her face and a positive pregnancy test in her hand.

Seven months and twelve hours of labor later, Allison was born. She was healthy and looked a whole lot like Charlie.

Sixteen months, a divorce, a second wedding, a whole lot of chocolate, and four movie nights with Vaughn later, we ended up here.

I nodded, and changed the subject, "So, word on the street says that a certain person likes you, a lot."

She giggled, and blushed a little, "What are you talking about Syd?"

"I hear that someone, someone that you like, has a crush on you."

"He does not!" Francie screeched, though turning red at the roots. Even after everything she's been through with Charlie and his death and the pregnancy and raising Allison basically alone, Francie was still a hopeless romantic and loved having a boyfriend. "Who's your source?"

"Someone," I answered. "Someone with very close ties to said person."

"Vaughn told you, didn't he?" Francie asked, frankly.

Damn, she knows me to well. I smiled and nodded, "Yes and he says that Eric really does like you and he is totally cool with Allison and all that." Even though Francie is a hopeless romantic and loves having a boyfriend, that boyfriend has has has to accept the fact that Francie is a mother and Allison comes first no matter what.

"Since when do you trust anything Vaughn says?" Francie teased, then blushing even more if that were possible which apparently it is, "And are sure that he likes me?"

"Since...well...um..." Oh crap, I'm stumped. That's a good question. Why am I listening to a damn thing that Vaughn says? It's Vaughn for Pete's sake. I don't think he even knows the meaning of the word 'truth'. "...I always listen to what Vaughn says." That's right, Syd, if you can't think of the truth, lie. Now I sound like Vaughn. Fabulous. "And I'm really sure that he does like you. I don't need Vaughn to tell me that."

"Syd, you never listen to what Vaughn says," She paused, "Well at least you never used to." She gave me this all-knowing look that meant she knew something that I didn't.

"What?"

"Nothing," She lied.

"Don't tell me nothing, I know when you're lying and you just lied to me."

"You like him," She answered, like it was the most innocent thing in the world.

Oh crap, not this again. "I do not!" Is it just me or am I defending the fact that I do not have a crush on Michael Vaughn a lot lately? I don't think it's just me. Maybe I'm going crazy. That would be something.

"You do too!" She replied, laughing.

I would have said more in my defense but my cell phone started to ring. Figuring it was just my mom or for some reason my dad, I pulled it out of my pocket. I smiled slightly without meaning to when I saw who was calling.

Francie noticed, "It's him, isn't it?"

I looked up at her, "How'd you know?"

"You only get that smile on your face when he's involved," She answered, for a moment completely sincere sounding. Then she just had to add, "Because you love him!"

"I do not!" I yelled back, wondering what happened to the simple liking him thing. "And if you don't mind, I have a phone call." She stuck her tongue out at me, a gesture that I returned before pressing the answer button and raising the phone to my ear, "Hey."

"Hey, beautiful, I had fun last night." For some reason, this little joke had sprung up between me and Vaughn that whenever he calls me, he always has to say, 'Hey, beautiful, I had fun last night.'

And then I reply with, "Me too, big boy."

And then he says, "Want to repeat it sometime?"

And I say, "I suppose." And then we get an actual conversation, usually started by me. "So what's up?"

"I can't just call you for the hell of it?" He asked.

I laughed, "You can. You just never do."

This time he laughed, "Yeah, okay...so I was thinking."

He paused, so I added, "You thinking? That's a first."

"Ha. Ha. Now...back to what I was saying. There's a Kings game tomorrow and with a sudden burst of "love" from my aunt, I got two tickets. Guess who's coming with me?"

I had to tease him, "Allison?" Francie looked up at me when she heard her daughter's name. I shook my head, and mouthed, 'I'm joking' to her. She seemed to get the message because she went back to painting her nails.

"Okay, so...how many times do we have to go over this, Syd? I am not into the whole robbing the cradle thing."

I laughed, "As many as it takes, hockey boy."

He shouted triumphantly about something, "You said it! You said 'hockey' and the Kings are a hockey team and therefore you must attend the game tomorrow with me or the Kings will be cursed forever."

He was trying to serious, I guess, but it was not working. You would laugh too if Vaughn was talking about a hockey team being cursed forever because you didn't go to a game with him. So I laughed. "I don't think they'll be cursed."

"Oh...they will, Sydney insert middle name here Bristow, they will."

I laughed harder. "Okay, since the Holy Kings will be cursed forever if I don't go with you...I'll go."

Francie looked at me again, smiling, and mouthing, 'You like him!'

'I do not!' I mouthed back.

"I knew you'd say yes," Vaughn answered. I could almost hear his smile over the phone, which in turn caused me to smile and then Francie to smile with that all knowing smile again.

"Oh really? How?"

"Because I know these things, Syd, when are you ever going to learn that?"

I laughed, "Not until I learn that you don't rob the cradle." I teased.

He sighed heavily, "I'm never going to win am I?"

"Nope."

"Okay...I can live with that."

"Can you really?" I asked.

"No," He answered immediately, causing me to giggle. "But I'll work on it if you will."

"I know I will."

"Good, I'll pick you at five tomorrow okay?"

"Okay." I hung up the phone just to be greeted by Francie's all knowing grin and another 'I told you so.' I sighed and tossed my cell phone onto her bed, "How many times do we have to go over this? I. do. not. like. Vaughn."

"Yes. you. do." Francie answered.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Whatever, you think that."

"I'm not the only one." Francie said, really randomly and catching my full attention.

"What?"

"I don't know how you haven't noticed but somehow you have." She paused. Um, yeah, Fran, you gotta keep talking or I'll start to assume stuff and you don't want me to assume stuff. "It's kinda the talk of the school..." Another pause.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. "What!?"

"You and Vaughn...the fact that you're dating Vaughn."

I interrupted her, "I am not dating Vaughn!"

This time she didn't respond with her usual teasing. This was serious talk time. "Syd...whatever it is that you and have going on" -Nice choice of words Fran- "people are noticing and talking about it."

I shrugged, "So what? They can talk. They talked enough last year right?" Francie didn't respond to that comment. She knew exactly what I meant. Last year, upon the impending divorce of my parents, this guy Noah I think his name was, asked me out and the turn out wasn't pretty. I beat the crap out of him and said that if he ever talked to me again, he wouldn't be able to sit down for a week. After that incident which turned itself into a chapter of Mom's book like usual, guys tended to stay very very very far away from me. I think I scared them off. And I was okay with that. Who needed them? It wasn't like we were going to fall madly in love and live the rest of our lives together. You need love to do that. And in case you forgot, love does not exist.

And then Michael Vaughn to come along. Unlike other guys, he wasn't afraid that I would beat the crap out of him, even though I could. I will never ever ever admit this to anyone, especially Francie, but I think I might have feelings for him.

Heaven help me.

mbellsdiva- thanks for the suggestions. I couldn't help but notice that those were Jennifer Garner movies…lol…and yeah, syd's in denial…but denial is a good place. It's fun here. lol

Bubbles: alas…that is alright…we shall meet here. lol. I'm not sure about the attitude you mentioned…it's been a while since I've read the book…mostly it comes from me. Syd in this story is like an exact replica of me. It's scary. lol

Spykid18- thanks for the movies suggestions…I'll think about them…yeah…Vaughn watching chick flick is very amusing. lol

dolphingurl1- I have no idea how to spell Selma Hayek…so yeah, that's close enough. And boys are still stupid in my mind. That's why I date men. No boys…men only!

aliastar- thank you!! I have to say that you're very kind review helped me write during my writer's block. I'm telling you…my muse is evil…I hope she dies…lol

largemarge416- lol, I hear ya about skating…I can play hockey it's just when I get on the skates to play on the ice…I tend to end up on my rear end more than anything…lol

generva- I love syd and Vaughn too!! And yes…my definition or soulmates is syd and Vaughn…I'm set in my ways…it'll never change. lol

angryapplepie- I like the movie ideas…that could happen…like I said…I'll have to think about it. And yes, you review did inspire me. so thanks.