"A Perfect Sonnet"
Chapter Six
"There's something we've been meaning to tell you, actually." Sydney said slowly, adjusting her weight from one foot to the other. Sky looked confused as he stared at us, the girls whose hands were still entwined.
"We?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Z and I. She and I are kind of, together." Sydney answered quickly, tightening her grip on my hand as she told our friend this. She wasn't sure how he was going to react.
"Kind of?" I cut in. I didn't want her to make him get the wrong idea. We weren't kind of together. We were together. It annoyed me she was afraid to acknowledge that.
"Not helping, Z." Syd hissed, shooting me a glare.
"Sorry." I shrugged, lowering my gaze to the floor.
"Syd, I didn't know you were..." Sky's voice trailed off. He looked uncomfortable as he crossed his arms, pursing his lips and looking at Sydney like she was crazy.
"Me either." Syd replied with a smile.
"What, and you're not surprised about me?" I asked, a bit offended.
"Actually, Jack kind of told me a long time ago." Sky offered, and I was shocked. I'd told Jack to keep her secret, and he hadn't. Oh he was going to get it...Before I could get lost in thought, Sky was talking again. Great, I should probably listen. "So who already knows?"
"Everyone, pretty much." Sydney admitted softly.
"Except you." I chimed in, trying to make him feel as bad as possible. This was fun.
"So this is what being kept in the dark feels like." Sky muttered to himself.
"Yep." I said brightly, a smile forming on my lips.
"Alright. Well, see you later." Sky began to walk forwards, so flustered he ran into the wall, completely missing the door. Syd and I burst into laughter at that point.
"Well he sure was surprised about us being together." I commented.
"Wait a minute. Sky said Jack told him that you were gay." Sydney pointed out, dropping my hand and looking at me closely. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Your point being?"
"I didn't know you were gay." Syd sounded genuinely shocked. You didn't know? Remember that thing we did where our lips touched? Yeah, that's a signal that someone's not so straight..
"Well you know now, obviously." I answered teasingly.
"But I'm not." Sydney mumbled with a sigh. "I'm not gay."
"That's irrelevant." I brushed the thought away. Obviously she wasn't straight if she was with me. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
"So am I your first girlfriend?" Syd asked suddenly.
"I don't have to answer that." I shot back, not meeting her gaze.
"Yes you do. Seriously, I want to know." She took my hand again, reassuringly running one of her fingers down my jawline. The look in her eyes. God, why did she make me feel like this? I had to struggle not to let my knees buckle as I looked at her.
"Fine. No, you're not my first. More like, um, third." I said this quickly, knowing she wouldn't take it well. I prepared myself for her reaction.
"Third?" Her voice rose a few decibels when she repeated this seemingly large number.
"Hey at least it's not like twelfth or something." I defended, knowing she'd had more boyfriends than I had girlfriends. I'd only dated one guy and that was a huge mistake. He was gay now anyway.
"Still." Syd was being stubborn. It was so sexy, god...
"You've had lots of boyfriends." I argued.
"But that's different." Sydney said, pursing her lips.
"How is it different?"
"It just is."
"God, you're so difficult sometimes."
"You liiike it."
"I do." I kissed her, letting my hands rest around her neck. Her arms were looped around my waist as we leaned into each other, kissing for a second time. I loved the feel of her lips against mine. Sadly, the kiss had to end sometime. Syd and I had a meeting planned with Cruger, Kat, and the Rangers. It was our official coming out, in case not everyoen realized we were a couple. We walked inside, and I felt myself getting nervous as we neared closer to the headquarters. Finally we arrived, and all our friends were standing at attention, as well as Cruger and Kat standing there, a bit more relaxed.
"You don't have to stand like that." Sydney said, and the three boys relaxed, obviously glad. Cruger looked at us anxiously, and I cleared my throat. Now or never.
"We wanted to make the official announcement."
"Just to make sure everyone's clear on it." Syd added.
"Syd and I are a couple." I said quickly, licking my lips once the words escaped my mouth.
"Congratulations." Kat smiled, her catlike fangs visible.
"It's all so weird." Bridge commented.
"Not really." Jack grinned, winking at me. I rolled my eyes. He was such an idiot sometimes.
"Nah, I agree with Bridge. It IS weird. Syd you never seemed the type to be into girls." Sky pointed out, overly serious. I wished he would calm down a little. It seemed he was always on edge. Jesus, how could someone stand to be that serious ALL the time?
"Well I never did before Z came along." Sydney answered earnestly, putting her arm around me.
"Oh. Well, that's, um - special." Sky sputtered, blinking a bunch of times and trying to regain his composure. He straightened, his arms practically glued to his sides.
"I'm glad things worked out for the better." The commander cleared his throat. "Are we finished here? I have work to do." He didn't sound all that happy.
"Sure." I replied. Cruger nodded, vacating the room. There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment.
"Don't mind the commander. He's just worried about what might happen if--" Kat wasn't able to finish her sentence because I interrupted her. I didn't want her to finish the sentence.
"I know."
"Alright. I really am happy for you guys. Not a lot of rangers can find time for love, but it's good to see you have." She continued, patting me on the shoulder
"You don't think it's weird?" Sky sounded shocked that Kat was so accepting. "I thought it was against the rules for rangers to have relationships."
"It's not weird at all." Kat smiled again. "And it doesn't say that anywhere in the handbook."
"Thank you, Kat." I said, giving her a hug.
"Anytime."
When I turned around, the others were gone. Everyone except for my Sydney.
"Kat, do you think it's safe for Syd and I to leave for a few hours, or are we expecting any disturbances soon?" I asked, turning back around to face Kat. She looked at the computer for a moment before answering.
"We're not expecting an attack, no. But if one happens to occur, we can manage without you for awhile. If we end up needing your aid, we'll contact you."
"Alright. Thanks." I grabbed Sydney's arm, getting ready to step out of the room.
"What are we doing?" Syd asked curiously.
"Visiting your parents." I replied, leading her out the door.
It wasn't long before we were on our way. Kat gave us permission to use the cruiser. As we drove to Syd's house, I could feel my nerves settling in. I wondered how they would react, and what they would say. I hoped they wouldn't hate me.
When we arrived, Syd stepped out of the cruiser and up to the front door. I hesitantly followed, trying not to panic as she knocked on the door. A few seconds later I heard footsteps. The door was opened by a handsome dark haired man, who I figured was Syd's father. He smiuled, pulling Syd inside. I walked in, gazing at the mansion in awe. I heard Sydney was rich but I hadn't realized to what extent. The place was seemingly huge, and an expensive looking chandelier hung high from the ceiling. The walls were professionally done, with textured wallpaper and borders along them. An antique grandfather clock stood in the entry way, and when I looked down I noticed the pearl linoleum, polished so I could see my reflection. I couldn't believe Syd used to live here.
"Daddy, this is Z. She's the SPD Yellow Ranger and also my best friend."
"Z? What a name. Wonderful to meet you," He sounded sincere as his gaze fell back onto Sydney. "Greta's making cookies in the kitchen. Your mom is getting her hair done. She should be home in a few minutes."
"Oooh. I love Greta's cookies!" Syd dashed off and when I tried to follow, her father pulled me off to the side.
"So, how has Syd been doing? She hasn't been over to visit in awhile." Her father was concerned. I thought it was sweet. I wished I had a real family to care about me like that.
"She's been doing really well." I replied, looking around the room. There were several armchairs in the living room, along with an extravagant couch.
"Does she have a boyfriend right now?" He asked. I blinked, speechless for a moment, feeling frozen. No she doesn't have a boyfriend, she has me. And I'm way better than any guy, anyway.
"Not exactly." These words escaped my mouth as Syd rejoined us, triumphantly holding some fresh cookies in her hands. I was glad Syd returned when she did. I didn't want to lie for her.
"What happened to that nice boy you were seeing, Travis?" Her father brought up. Syd sighed. It was now or never. It just came sooner than we both expected.
"About that..."
Sydney was interrupted by the arrival of her mother. She had blonde hair and was very beautiful, looking remarkably like Syd. She threw her arms around her daughter, capturing her in a tight hug.
"So, who is lovely lady?" She questioned once the hug had ended.
"Actually, she's my girlfriend." Sydney answered bravely.
"Oh yeah? That's nice. You haven't had a good best friend in awhile." Apparently her mother hadn't realized exactly what she meant. She thought girlfriend as in, friends with a girl. Oh Mrs. Drew, you wish...I thought.
"No, that's not what I meant." Syd pushed, clenching her teeth.
"Then, what did you mean?"
"She's my girlfriend. We're a couple."
"What?" Her mother's eyes bulged from their sockets.
"You heard me."
"Are you serious? Do you know what this could do to your reputation if the media got wind of this?" Her father finally found his voice after a few seconds of being stunned.
"Why would I joke about something like this?" Both of her parents stared at me and I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, immensely uncomfortable. I kept my eyes trained on the floor, not daring to make eye contact as my face burned like fire. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea after all.
"Are you saying you're a-a.." Her father stammered.
"Lesbian. Go on, you can say it." I heard myself say. Syd's mother glared at me.
"This is just a phase. That's all it is. I don't want to talk about it any longer." She announced.
"We're going to talk about it. I'm not a lesbian, okay?" Syd reasurred them, stepping away from me for a moment. I felt out of place there, listening to the family yell at each other.
"But you're with a woman." Her father sputtered.
"Yeah, I noticed. She's the only woman I like. The only woman I've ever liked. So I'm not a lesbian, I'm just dating a woman. There's a difference." Sydney explained.
"So when you guys break up, you'll start dating guys again?" He asked, hopeful.
"Hey. Don't attack my relationship." She glared at him. I couldn't believe the way they were acting. All of them, including Sydney. She was ignoring me, like I wasn't even here.
"We're not attacking your relationship, honey. We're just trying to point out the fact that you won't be together forever." Her mother said. That was it.
"Would you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" I shouted, stomping away, and heading downstairs towards the door. I needed to get out of here.
"Wait a minute!" Syd yelled, running after me. "Sweetie, calm down. Honestly, what did you expect? My parents are protective, okay? They're right. If the public finds out about this, my reputation is shot," She lowered her voice. "Besides, did you seriously think two rich republicans with sticks up their butts would accept this right away? It's going to take some getting used to. Your hostile attitude isn't going to make them like you any more."
"Don't talk to me like a child, Syd. I'm not a child." I spat, resisting her touch.
"I know you're not a child. I'm not trying to treat you like one." Sydney argued, grabbing my arm and forcing me to look her in the eye. All it took was one gaze, and I was hers again.
"You're right. I'm sorry, I was just upset. You know how I get when I'm upset." I apologized. Syd smiled, pulling me into her arms and giving me a reassuring kiss on the lips.
"We're happy as long as you're happy." Syd's parents called from the top of the stairs.
"We fully support your relationship." Her father said.
"We're just worried about your reputation. But no matter, we won't think of such things right now." Sydney took my hand, her smile widening.
"See?"
A/N: As my friend Ryland pointed out...Travis is a lame name for Syd's ex boyfriend to have. But oh well. Also I realized it's really out of character for Bridge to be all into Syd & Z being together. That's more of Jack's job. Oops. This chapter isn't as good as it could be, but that's because I worked on it in segments...Just be glad I finally got this chapter done. It's been sitting in my documents for a long time unfinished. So now the story is over. Might to a sequel but don't count on it.