SSB's note: In light of recent trouble brewing where people have been reporting stories for going over their rating or being plagiarized, I feel that I need to restate two things.

This story is rated PG-13 or T I guess it is now. And it's going to stay like that. It has never gone over and it never will.

This is the third time, but I do not own the plotline thought up by the lovely Sarah Dessen. Yes, I read her book and yes I took the general idea for a story but that's it. If you call that plagiarism, then what the hell is your problem?

If you have no idea what I'm talking about... well, you're probably better off.

"I can't believe that Mitchell gave us all that homework," Vaughn whined.

I rolled my eyes and set my lunch down on the table before turning to him. "You wouldn't have gotten as much if you had done something besides doodle on my binder," I told him.

He gave me a cheeky grin. Well at least he's proud of himself for it. Though I have to admit, it's a little weird when your boyfriend spends all of Algebra II doodling on your binder because he's too damn lazy to do any work. "You should help me with my homework."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah?" I asked sitting down at the table. "Says who?"

"Me," He answered giving me another cheeky grin.

"Oh real convincing," I retorted.

"Ouch Bubble Yum," He said clutching at his chest. "My pride."

"What pride?" I asked innocently.

"I'd say she was out to get you, dude," Eric commented as he and Francie sat down at the table with us. Surprisingly, she didn't have Allison with her. Very surprising indeed.

"I'm inclined to agree," Vaughn answered.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Where's Allison?"

Francie shrugged. "I thought we could have an Allison free lunch, that's all."

My eyebrow stayed raised. Something tells me that this sudden new idea of hers has something to do with Eric and wanting to be around him without her daughter. Well, I can't really judge her that, now can I?

Of course I can, but I won't right now.

"Syd, please, help poor Vaughnie with his math," Vaughn whined giving me the puppy dog face, complete with the pouty lip and everything.

Somehow, when he called himself 'Vaughnie' it made me pity him and when I pity him, I give in to what he wants. "Alright," I sighed. "I'll help poor Vaughnie with his math."

"Vaughnie?" Eric mocked, snorting into his soda. "Cute."

"Shut up," Vaughn threw at him. "I've heard girls give you worse names."

"Like what?" Francie asked, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Eric threw his best friend a nasty look before turning to his girlfriend. "It's nothing," He answered.

She looked at him skeptically, "Has Vaughn not told you that lying to your girlfriend is bad?"

"Nope," Eric answered immediately. I think he was trying to get some of the heat off him and onto Vaughn.

"I was getting to it," Vaughn defended when Francie gave him that look. Yeah, right. I kept my comment to myself.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes and muttering something that sounded like "boys" under her breath.

I giggled. See, this is what dating does to me. I turn into a giggly girl. Yeah, that sounded stupid. "Mm, Vaughn, since I'm helping you with your math, you have to help me with my application."

"Application?" He repeated.

I rolled my eyes. I swear I told him about that damn application. "The summer exchange program," I reminded. He still looked clueless. Ah, gotta love it. "This summer, I'm planning on going to France to study the culture." If I get accepted that is, I added silently. Which is why I need hockey boy's help with my French on the application. I'm good at French –thanks to Dad for forcing me to learn all of these foreign languages- but he's lived there.

Big stinking difference.

"Why am I helping you with the application then?" He asked. Big stinking dope, that's what he is. But he's my big stinking dope. Not sure if that's a good thing yet or not.

"You just are," I replied.

"Look who wears the pants in this relationship," Eric taunted.

I threw him a look. "Who wears the pants in your relationship?"

"He/she does!" Francie and Eric said simultaneously. Yeah, that's not confusing.

Vaughn was over there in hysterics while I started giggling again. "At least we know who has the power," He shot back.

"Shut up, Vaughnie," Eric retorted.

"Make me, Ricky," Vaughn replied.

Even though I was almost falling out of my chair in a giggle fit, I saw the confusion then anger then glowering that passed over Eric's face all in under ten seconds. What I want to know is who in the name of all that is holy hell called him 'Ricky'? Because I need to congratulate that person on their brilliance.

"Ricky, huh?" Francie mused trying to not laugh. "How… cute." Anyone could have known that she was lying.

"Laugh if you want," Eric told her, still in his glowering stage. "Mikey and Syd are over there almost wetting themselves."

Maybe not wetting ourselves but we were laughing pretty damn hard. It took us at least ten minutes to calm down, though we were still grinning like idiots, enough for Eric to lose that look that said he secretly wanted us to die.

Damn the bell for ending lunch and all of our fun.

"I'll meet you at the flag pole, okay?" Vaughn said grabbing his backpack. On off days, we didn't have any classes together in the afternoon. Damn my school for having a retarded block schedule.

"Okay," I answered, kissing him quickly before reaching for my own stuff.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, giving me another series of kisses. "Okay, now you can go."

I rolled my eyes at him, grinning madly, and picked up my backpack. "Fran, do you see my purse over there?" She had to tear her eyes off of her retreating boyfriend before she could look for my purse.

"Yeah, here," Francie said handing my purse.

"Wait, I forgot something," Vaughn came back. Good God man, go to class. He slipped something into my back pocket as he planted another kiss on me. "Alright, now I'm going." He informed us, sprinting off somewhere. Hopefully to his next class.

"What'd he forget besides playing tonsil hockey with you?" Francie teased.

"A chocolate bar," I told her pulling it out of my back pocket where he'd put it. The goofy smile was coming back.

"I never thought I'd see the day," She mused.

Wait a minute… that sounds familiar. Oh yeah, three months ago at Vaughn's aunt's New Year's party… er, before it, she said that exact same thing. She never did explain it.

"See what day?" I asked off handedly hoping she'd fall for the trap and answer me.

Either she did fall for the trap or she just decided that it was time to tell me. "You," She told me. "And Vaughn."

I don't get it. "What?"

She sighed and grabbed her stuff. "I know you've been in your own little world for our entire high school career…"

"I… wadda…" Oh yes, that was intelligent Sydney.

She put up her hand to stop my sputtering. "Let me finish. You haven't really been up to date with what goes on in this school. I don't blame you or anything, with your parents' divorce and helping me with my problems with Charlie."

So because my parents divorced and my best friend lost the father of her child to a bus, that excuses me not knowing anything? Oh-kay then…

"He's been chasing you for years you know," She told me.

"Who?" I asked. Oh please tell me that word did not just come out of my mouth. Who else? "Vaughn."

She nodded. "I don't know why, but he seemed dead set on having you."

What the f-ck is she talking about? First of all, if he was so dead set on having me, then why did it take until October of junior year for him to actually approach me? I knew of him but that was actually the first time we'd had a conversation. And second, he couldn't have been that dead set if I'd never noticed before. Oh and what about all of the girls he was dating? Yeah, I knew about them.

I need to stop asking questions that I can't answer.

I gave her a skeptical look. "So he got me, what's the big deal?"

"Because it's you and for the past three years of your life, you've acted like you hated men."

Huh, so that's how I came off as. Interesting.

"I heard that there was a pool going somewhere on when you'd knee a guy in his sensitive area," She continued. Yeah, that sounds like something people at my school would do. "But he just had to have you."

"So he's stubborn, so what." I shrugged.

"All I know is that he spent the past three years practically stalking you." She answered. "He had to know everything he could about you."

I wasn't going to let her see how much this new piece of information was affecting me. If what she said was true, then that means that Vaughn's in this for the long haul. And by long haul, I mean babies and minivans.

Oh shit.

Funny how the more serious I get with a guy that the more my cynicism comes back two fold.

"You're taking this a little too well," She observed, "For you anyway."

Shit. I put on a smile and turned towards my class. "I have to go to class." Before she could protest or add anything else, I was gone.

Let's just say that I didn't hear a word about chemistry that afternoon.

-break-

"Hey Syd! Earth to Syd!"

I blinked and turned my head and there was Vaughn suddenly. Huh, I must have dazed out. Again. I was doing it all afternoon. And I mean all afternoon. I was yelled at twice in chemistry and then four times in world history.

I smiled. "Sorry, I was just doing some thinking."

"I could tell," Vaughn answered. "You have your thinking face on."

"I have thinking face?"

"Course, everyone does," He replied. God, he's so casual about it all too. He doesn't act like he's wanted me for three years. "Come on you, get in the car."

"Yes, sir," I teased getting into the car anyway.

"Oh don't call me sir," He requested getting into the driver's seat. "It makes me feel old."

"Oh poor you," I mocked.

"You stop picking on me."

"What are you going to do about it?" I challenged.

He pressed harder on the gas, plastering me against the seat before hitting the brakes hard. "That convince you yet?" He asked.

Luckily for him, I had refrained from hitting my head on the dashboard. Or else I would have kicked his ass. Boyfriend or not. "Fine, you win. For now."

"I'll take what I can get," He answered.

Oh why did he have to say that? That pretty much made me shut up for the rest of the drive to his aunt's house. I think I spent the entire time staring out of the window though I'm not entirely sure. Oh hell.

"Aunt Trish!" Vaughn yelled after we went inside. This was the first time I'd been there since New Year's and I have to say without the place crawling with old people who were half drunk, it was pretty nice. Roomy but not un-homey.

Good God his aunt was rich.

"Hello! Aunt Trish!" He called again when no one answered.

I spotted a piece of paper on the coffee table and held it up for him. "Looks like she had to go grocery shopping," I told him skimming it.

"All the better," He responded. "No having to answer any questions."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "And that's all that matters."

"Do you really want to answer more questions about our relationship?"

I shook my head.

"Didn't think so," He replied.

"So where are we going to work?"

"Straight to business, huh?" He teased grabbing my hand and leading me into what looked to be a sun room. "I was thinking in here."

I smiled and looked out the window, barely refraining from gasping. Why hadn't I noticed that his aunt's house was on the beach before now? Well, for whatever reason I was appreciating the view she had very much now.

"It's perfect," I remarked.

He shrugged and gestured towards a futon for me to sit. I did, my backpack tossed to the ground at me feet. I think we were going to work on his math before my application. That's good because I need a distraction.

An hour and forty five minutes later we had tackled both his math and my rusty French. When I told him about the program, he just nodded though not very enthusiastically. He probably wasn't too keen on the idea of his girlfriend going to a foreign country for three weeks during the summer. Too bad, I was planning on doing this before I started dating him. Hell, before he even talked to me that day in Sherman's office.

"You're a miracle worker," He told me, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

I blushed and turned my head so he caught my lips instead. See, if I'm kissing him, I won't over analyze our relationship. Which is a good thing. The fact that he's a really good kisser makes it a very good thing.

My hand floated up to rest on his cheek, my finger tips curling in his hair as I pushed my lips against his harder.

If he was questioning my sudden forwardness, he made no sign of it as one of his hands gripped a fistful of my hair. The other one was on my knee though it was slowly making its way north.

I ignored his wayward hand and put all of my energy into the kisses. Let's just say that being worrying about stupid shit gives me a lot of energy which is very good for kissing.

He let out a low moan from the back of his throat and I couldn't help but smirk at that. That's right, I have power over Michael Vaughn. And the best part is that he wants me.

Eat your hearts out girls.

Everything became a sort of a daze in which all that existed was me, him, his hands, and his lips. I'm sure that there was a tidal wave at that exact moment, I wouldn't have noticed even getting wet.

Gripping his face with both hands, I lost myself in his mouth. I wasn't going to let my cynicism interrupt this moment. Not no way, not no how. His hand moving dangerously high on my thigh however, that'll ruin it.

I pulled out of his mouth with a gasp, trying to catch my breath. "Vaughn…" I warned, removing one of my hands from his face and pushing his frisky hand down.

He rest his forehead against mine and nodded slightly. "I know," He whispered.

What surprised me the most was that I had never told him straight out that I wanted to wait for sex until I was sure I was ready. God, Francie was right. He really did do his best to learn everything about me that he could.

I smiled and looked into his eyes, which I noticed had darkened to a deep emerald color. I love his eyes. I think I've said that already.

I'm not sure if I was extremely grateful for the phone ringing or sorely disappointed. Either way, it was ringing and that killed the mood.

With one hand still in my hair, he reached behind me and grabbed the cordless phone. "Hello?... oh, hey Maman…" His mother was on the phone? Well now I'm glad that I had stopped him when I did. "…No, Trish isn't here… yeah, I'll tell her to call you… Aurelie wants to talk to me? Okay…"

'My sister,' He mouthed to me. I nodded understandingly.

"I'm going to put you on speakerphone, okay?" Vaughn said before he lowered the phone from his ear and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Why?" His sister, Aurelie asked.

"Because I want you to meet someone," He told her.

"Who?" She asked sounding excited.

"Sydney," He answered giving me a look that said 'say something'.

"Hey Aurelie," I said.

"Hey Sydney!" She replied. "How do you know my brother?"

I hesitated. Do I tell a little girl that I know her brother because we're dating?

"She's my girlfriend," Vaughn answered for me. Okay then.

"Ew," She responded sounding just like a little child.

I laughed. "Your brother's not that bad."

"I s'pose not," She said. "I have to go cause Maman says that it's too late for me to be on the phone."

"Well yeah," Vaughn answered. "Isn't it like one in the morning there?"

"Uhh… Maman says hi to Sydney and bye," Aurelie hung up pretty fast.

I laughed. "It's one in the morning there? What is she still doing up?"

"She's spoiled," He shrugged setting the phone down.

"Much like her brother."

"Moi? Spoiled?" There was the puppy dog face again.

"Don't give me that look," I chided leaning in to kiss the dimple in his chin. I love that dimple too.

Of course just as we were going to kiss again, my cell phone had to ring. I gave him an apologetic look. "This'll just take a second," I told him reaching for my phone. I honestly thought that it was going to be my mom reminding me to be home by dinner which was why I didn't check the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey Syd."

I froze, my mouth falling open.

It wasn't my mother.

Those worry lines started to appear on Vaughn's forehead when I didn't say anything for a full sixty seconds. He nudged me and that brought my back to reality. I licked my lips and swallowed hard. "Kady?"

When he heard my sister's name, his reaction was like mine. Eyes widening, mouth dropping, shocked in a stupor.

"So you do still know who I am," Kady answered teasing me.

I was too shocked to be receiving a call from my sister that I hadn't spoken to since Christmas to appreciate the humor. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"Dunno," She replied. "I would've thought that Mom and Dad would have wiped you of all of your memory of me."

"I don't think they'd do anything that extreme," I countered.

"Maybe," She responded. "You don't know them like I do, Syd."

Had I not been so shocked by her calling me, I would've questioned her on that. "Where are you?"

She laughed. "I'm not going to tell you that. You'll tell Mom and Dad."

"No I won't," I insisted.

"Sorry Syd, but the answer's no," She answered. "I just called to tell you that I'm fine and you can tell our parents that."

"Kady, come home." I requested. "I miss you."

"Miss you too Syd but I can't."

"Kady…" I sighed.

"Look, I gotta go," She said. "I'll call you later sometime." And then she hung up before I could protest. Shaking, I lowered the phone and looked at the caller ID. She had called from a payphone. We wouldn't find her off that.

I licked my lips again and looked to Vaughn. "Damn sisters," I said.

He half smiled. "Yeah, damn them."

"Vaughn?"

"Hm?"

"Shut up and kiss me," I commanded grabbing his shirt and jerking him towards me.

"Gladly," He responded before crashing our mouths together.

Right now, I just wanted to kiss him and not think and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Thinking can wait.

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Next chapter: Reality Bites