A/N: Again thankyou to everybody who reviewed my story. I'm having a blast writing it, and I am totally stoked that people are actually taking the time to read it, and then telling me what they think. I don't know you personally, but I love you for it!
"Hey ya Houdini" Sydney said as she slid in next to Weiss at their Shakespeare lecture Monday morning. He only grunted in reply and she noticed a sullen look on his face. "What's up? You feeling some Monday morning depression?"
"No, Alan pissed on my rug this morning."
"Excuse me?" Sydney was a little shocked by his reply. "Who's Alan?"
"My dog. It wasn't the best way to start the day."
"Well I can imagine." The two fell into silence as the lecturer began to speak in front of them. Afterwards they walked out of the lecture hall together.
"I gotta go to the library, Syd. Apparently I have an assignment due tomorrow. I'll see you." Sydney laughed as she waved him off, and then headed towards the campus centre. As she walked along she noticed somebody familiar up ahead.
"Vaughn!" No reaction. "Hey Vaughn!" Sydney called again, jogging to catch up with him. "Didn't you hear me?" she asked, tapping him on the shoulderwhen she finally caught up.
"No, sorry." His answer was curt and he didn't stop walking.
"Is everything ok? You just disappeared Friday night. I was looking forward to another game."
"Something came up."
"Yeah Weiss said it was a family emergency. Was it anything serious?"
"Nothing serious."
"Vaughn, are you sure that everything is ok? You seem...strange."
"How would you know how I am Sydney? You don't know me and I especially don't know you. Maybe it would be for the best if it stayed that way. Now if you would excuse me, I have to be somewhere."
Sydney stood dumbfounded as she watched him stride away. There was obviously more sides to Michael Vaughn than she thought. Too many for her liking.
Vaughn shrugged off a slight twinge of guilt as he headed towards the computer lab situated in the campus centre. It wasn't in his nature to be so abrupt with people, but his pride was still slightly injured after Friday night. Sydney appeared to be playing with him and he wasn't in the mood for those sorts of games.
After logging onto the computer,Vaughn opened his emails. He felt slightly sick after seeing the sender of one email: Lauren Reed. Deciding to leave that one till last, he opened the numerous jokes from Weiss and some information on an upcoming assignment. When all but one had been read he decided to open the email from her.
Michael,
I figured actual conversation was the last thing you wanted and frankly I felt the same way. However, after numerous messages
my CD's have still have not been returned. You are the only person who could have them and I want them back ASAP.
Lauren.
Vaughn couldn't help it. He started laughing. Unlucky for Lauren, but she wouldn't be getting those CD's back. Weiss had made sure of that.
Flashback:
"Bitch."
"Come on Vaughn. Is that the worst thing you can say about her?"
"That was the first word that came to my head, Weiss, and I don't want to spend another moment thinking about her."
"I never really liked her."
"Really?"
"Yeah, she had shit taste in music. Put me off straight away."
"Tell me about." Vaughn agreed. "At least you didn't have to listen to the crap. Give us another beer."
"God, how many have we had?"
"Dunno. I lost count when we hit double figures...and that was a while back."
"Oh my god! I have the best idea."
"No way Weiss. You remember what happened last time we attempted to bake cookies while drunk."
"No! Let's hit the beach and play Frisbee."
"But we don't have a Frisbee."
"I know, but we do have Lauren's CD collection."
End flashback
After a drunken hour on the beach, the CD's that Lauren was asking for were now out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Still chuckling to himself, Vaughn logged off the computer. Who would have thought that an email from her could cheer him up?
"Francie."
"Yeah Syd?" The two of them were in their kitchen later that night making dinner.
"Can you explain to me how a guy's mind works."
"Sydney, if I could do that I wouldn't be making dinner with you, I'd be having dinner with some hot guy."
"Good point."
"So what brought on this probing question?"
"Well, hypothetically, let's say you meet a guy. You play an awesome game of pool, you flirt a bit, you laugh some, all is going great. But then you turn away for a minute and he's gone. Then you see him a couple of days later and you get the brush off."
"I'd say he's either gay, or has a girlfriend and got a little case of the guilts."
"Wellthat is just great.Neither scenario sounds any good for me."
"I thought we were speaking hypothetically," Francie said, with a knowing smile on her face.
"Shut up Francie" Sydney laughed.
"Anyway I have the perfect distraction for you."
"What?"
"We are going to throw a Halloween party. Costumes and all."
"Oh really?"
"Yup, I decided it today. We can come up with a guest list tonight. I want everybody we know on it."
'Not everybody' Sydney thought. Had this list been complied a day earlier, Vaughn would have been on it. However after his little performance today Sydney decided that there were better people to waste her time on.
"Hey Weiss." Vaughn opened his front door to greet his best friend. "What's up?"
"Mum was driving me nuts and I just had to get away. I bought burgers" he said, holding up a paper bag.
"Well then I suppose I'll let you in." The two walked into the small apartment and settled themselves on the couch. For the next few minutes they sat there in silence, just eating and Vaughn was glad of it. He didn't really feel like talking. Weiss, on the otherhand, had a different idea.
"Alright, out with it."
"Out with what?"
"Why you are sitting there looking pissed off at the world. Me, I have an excuse to be pissed off, between my mother and what Alan did this morning. What is your excuse?"
"I'm not pissed off."
"Yeah right, Vaughn!" Weiss exclaimed. " Did you fail an assignment? Bump your head?" Vaughn said nothing. "Wait I know. You didn't get to see Sydney today and now Mr Vaughnie is all depressed."
"Actually I did see her."
"So what is the problem. You guys seemed to be getting pretty tight Friday night."
"Yeah, until I turn around and see her all over some guy."
"What? When was this?"
"When we went to get the beers, I turned and saw her kissing and hugging this guy."
"Ohhh."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"Was it just my imagination, or was there, I don't know, 'something' between us?"
"I'm not sure. You both looked as if you were about to rip each other's clothes off and get it on, right there on the pool table. Is that 'something'?" Weiss replied.
"See, I thought so too!" Vaughn exclaimed. "Except maybe not to your extent."
"Yeah right Vaughn, you wanted it bad."
"Well, that is now irrelevent. She had a boyfriend."
"So did she tell you about him today. Is that the reason for the foul mood."
"No,I brushed her off when she spoke to me."
"So she never actually said 'I have a boyfriend'"
"She didn't have to."
"Vaughn!"
"What?"
"Why don't you actually ask Sydney if she has a boyfriend?" Weiss said. "Instead of making presumptions over someting you saw in a dark bar."
"Because."
"Because why?"
"Because..." Vaughn stopped, searching for the right words. "Because I'm not willing to set myself up to be hurt again."
"Sydney isn't Lauren, Mike." Weiss said, putting a hand onhis shoulder. It killed him to see Vaughn like this, so insecure.He would willingly cause grievous bodily harm to the bitch who had destroyed his mate's confidence.
"How do we know that?"
"Vaughn, at least get to know her before you pass judgement."
"Why should I?"
"Because Friday was the most relaxed and happy I've seen you for months. In the courtyard last week, I hadn't seen that look on your face since you met Lauren. In fact, you didn't even react that way when you met Lauren."
"Weiss, I can't."
"Mike, I've never seen you run like this before and do you know what that tells me?"
"What?"
"That Sydney is special. So special that you're running scared."
Vaughn took a bite of his burger. He hated it when Weiss was right.