A.N: Hey guys!

See I posted this chapter earlier and it's longer than usual. I also made a video on Youtube on how Sydney & Adrian. It's loosely based on my novel and it's titled: 'Sydney and Adrian: Foolish Game?' Check it out.

Here again I tried to incorporate the quotes from the trailers (Adrian's trailer) to the storyline. I really hope you'll enjoy and please don't forget to review it really keeps me going.

Thanks

Steffy2106

Chapter 9:

The next morning I was so relieved to go to school that I could have cried of happiness. I always loved school, and I sincerely believed that books were my friends, but since I moved here, it was all different. It was not the kind of school I ever been in, but today, just thinking I wouldn't have to be in the same space than Adrian and Dimitri, made school as attractive as a science fair to me.

I also had the Ian 'I can get you out' issue to deal with, but it would have to wait until I figured what I wanted to do well….I knew what I wanted to do I just had to figure how to do it.

Jill came a few minutes before school and asked me if I could braid her hair. I knew she could do it by herself, but I also knew she was craving the attention and I was pleased enough to comply.

When we came out to go to school, I was not really surprised that Adrian was nowhere to be seen….I sighed I knew he had classed in the morning, and I also knew he would skip.

"Give me a minute, I forgot something" I said rushing down the corridor but I didn't stop in front of my bedroom I continued down to Adrian's room. If he didn't want to try to put his life back on track, I would try to do it for him.

I opened the door of his room, ready to reach for anything and throw it at him, but his bed was empty which stopped me right on track.

"Do you need anything?" I heard Adrian deep voice from my right.

I turned briskly, and my eyes stopped on his bare chest. His skin was ultra white and he was lean, but his chest was a lost more developed than I thought it would be.

"See something you like?" He asked with a light chuckled.

I finally looked up, blushing furiously. He was drying his hair with a towel. "Ummm what?" I shook my head. "Please you are a creature of the night, how could I ever like that?" I said cursing myself, willing for the blush to go away. "I just wanted to wake you up, you have a class this morning."

"Does it mean you care about me little alchemist?" He teased.

I snorted and walked out.

"Why are you dressed in sweats?" I asked Eddie, realizing he was not wearing his usual guardian outfit.

"I'm coming to school with you."

"Uh?"

Dimitri was playing with the car keys. "There were three attempts made against the princess' life in the past few days. It might be daytime and it might be a crowded school, but there is nobody to keep an eyes on her there."

"I'm the new assistant coach" Eddie grinned.

"And you were going to tell me when?" I asked him, somehow hurt not to be in the secret.

"I'm telling you now."

"I…never mind, we're going to be late." I added dismissively.

The drive was silent. When Dimitri left us, I let Eddie and Jill go first before turning around to talk to Dimitri.

"Are you going back to the apartment?"

Dimitri nodded, taking off his dark aviator sunglasses. "I needed to see how we can increase the security to make sure nobody…how gifted they might be, can get in. Why?"

"If," ummm I cleared my throat. "Please don't antagonize him, he is not doing so well, and you know since he is a spirit user he is feeling everything much more strongly than anyone else."

Dimitri smiled before putting his glasses back on. "Sure Sydney."

"I-" I wanted to say it wasn't something personal, but the second bell rang definitely making me late.

When I made it to English, the class already started, but Matt, God bless him, had kept me a seat.

"It's nice to join us miss Sage." Said the teacher sarcastically.

I blushed and looked down at my book.

"Are you alright ?" whispered Matt.

I simply nodded, keeping my eyes on the book.

"Sorry I didn't call you." Said Matt as we exited the class.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you sorry?" I asked confused. "I didn't expect you to call me…" I frowned trying to remember our date, but the only thing that keep flashing in my mind was Adrian's lips on mine. You are confused because it was your first kiss ever….get a grip Sage! I chastised myself. "Did you say you would call me?"

"I…no I didn't" he said and I could hear some defeat in his voice.

"Are you okay?"

He smiled tentatively. "You are just very hard to talk to. A normal girl would have expected me to call her all week-end for me to invite her to another date, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have called because I'm not supposed to show that I really wanted to see her again."

"So you were not busy you just…followed your stupid rules? So it's a game?" I asked not able to hide the slight disgust in my voice.

"No! I'm not playing. I…I'm sorry really, I just never met a girl like you and you keep me on my toes I have no idea what to do with you."

"Just be normal." I shrugged. "I don't do games and secret message and stuff like that."

This time his smile was sincere. "Would you like to go to the dance with me next week end after the winter show?"

All color drained from my face, I had forgotten that! It was already the end of the trimester…Christmas was just around the corner.

"Hey, Are you alright?" He asked, resting his hands on my shoulders.

"I forgot."

"The dance?"

"Both" I admitted.

"It's cool. For the song just improvise something."

"I have to go" I said, turning around rushing to my second class. I didn't need to show late to that one too.

"What about the dance?" he shouted after me.

"Yes!" I shouted back just before entering the classroom.

I was half way through my chemistry class when I realized it. I was going to an actual ball, with a boy! I grinned. See Ivashkov, I'm not completely useless as far as boys are concerned. I could already imagine him when I'll tell him as smugly as possible.

I called Ian at lunch, knowing it was better to do it from here, it would give me an excuse to hang-up since I was at school.

Ian told me that he convinced David to talk to the Council to reduce my punishment.

I grimaced, David Turner was the Alchemist version of Dimitri Belikov. He was a 22 year old 'know-it-all', he had the respect of everybody, even the elders but I hated him. He was the perfect match for Marie, everybody was seeing them together and then…when she needed him the most, he turned his back on her and stood with the council.

I didn't want anything coming from him and Ian knew that, it was like a let down.

I would speak to David, give him a call and tell him not to bother. He was the enemy to me and always would be.

The same day, the music teacher reminded us that we needed a song ready for the show. We didn't need to intend reversal…it only needed to be creative. We could change the lyrics of a song, mix songs together…anything, the sky was the limit and I had about two weeks to figure it out.

Jill was getting a dance lesson so I was giving a tutoring lesson to Matt.

Matt was grinning when I made it to the lab.

"Can't believe you said yes" he admitted.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You didn't seem to have enjoyed our date so much so…"

"I did, I'm sorry if it didn't show."

"You're different."

"You have no idea."

He chuckled, "I like that."

We didn't study much during the hour we had, we organized the pick up for the ball. We decided we would go directly after the winter show as it would only be walking from the amphitheater to the main gym.

When I made it outside the sun had already set and I was not surprised to see Dimitri waiting outside the car, tensed, looking around.

Jill and Eddie followed close behind. Eddie had his hand on Jill frail back.

As we drove back I started to imagine the discussion I would have with David, what he could do with his help while letting my eyes wander in the surrounding.

As we stopped at the traffic light about three blocks from the apartment I froze. There was a car parked in front of a shady bar…it was unsanitary just to look at it but I would have recognized this Audi R8 with the personalized 'Ibite' license plate anywhere.

"Stop!" I said as the traffic light turned to green.

"What is it?" Asked Eddie looking around.

"I-I need to get off."

Dimitri looked around and probably saw the car too because he unlocked the doors. "You take care, okay?"

"Are you crazy? You can't let her wander here like that, at this time."

"She has things to do. See you later" Said Dimitri, driving away as soon as I closed the door.

I turned toward the bar, and I knew I should have been scared but I was so angry at Adrian, too angry to let my fear take over.

I never realized he was actually driving his car when he was getting drunk senseless.

"Idiot!" I grumbled through grit teeth. I knew he was reckless and self-destructive but that was taking it to a whole new level.

There was a big guy all dressed in black leather, I couldn't help but fidget with my golden cross as I reached the door.

The guy put his arm across the door to stop me from getting in. "Where are you going Angel? That's not a place for good girls here" he drawled with a wolfish grin.

"I-My brother is here." I tried.

"Your brother?" He raised an eyebrow.

I pointed to the Audi.

He snorted. "Crazy Golden Boy is your brother? You sure don't look much alike sweetheart."

"It's from a different mother." I stuttered.

The guy laughed a booming, scary laugh, and removed his arm. "You can get in sweetheart, you must care a great lot to try to bullshit your way in."

I shrugged. "Thank you" I said, walking it.

The bar was exactly like in the movies, and the people in there were pretty scary. I quickly looked around and spotted Adrian at small round table in the corner.

He stood up almost immediately and I thought he saw me but he swayed his way to the jukebox.

When he came back to his table Maroon 5 'Harder to Breathe' was blaring. I rolled my eyes, our boy was angsty alright.

"Hey! Alchemist!" Adrian shouted as he finally spotted me.

I blushed furiously, rushing to his table. "Shhhh! Are you crazy?" I whispered angrily.

He chuckled "Do you really need to ask?"

"I…" I grabbed his car keys on the table. "That is crazy!" I said jiggling the keys in front of his face. "Driving while intoxicating that is crazy, and selfish and…and….it's like MURDER! I know Rose did-"

"Don't you EVER mention her again" he growled, punching the table. "You have no idea what you are talking about! Just shut it!"

I recoiled a bit as if he slapped me, and I took a deep breath. "I understand that you are going through a tough time." I reached for his hand. "I understand that you are hurting-"

He removed his hand from my grip and sneered, I knew it was going to be ugly. "Oh you understand, don't you?"

I nodded, and he gave me a humorless laugh.

"How many relationship did you ever have Sage uh? One? Two?" He shook his head. "I bet it's zero. How can you understand when you never loved anyone? And clearly nobody ever loved you! Please!" he spat.

It was like being punched in the stomach and I had to sit for a few seconds. People had been mean to me, but that was a whole new level. It did hit home and it hurt…it hurt more than it ever hurt before. I could feel tears filling my eyes and looked up. I would not let them fall, not in front of him. He was mean! Trying to help him had been a mistake, nobody could help him or save him, because I finally realized that he didn't want to be saved. He was self destructive, and liked it that way. I stared at the keys in my hand and almost threw them to him but I knew I couldn't do that…I was catholic, I couldn't risk people's lives.

"Let's go" I said, jerking my head toward the door.

"I'll go whenever it pleases me" he said, emptying his glass of scotch.

"Just let me drive you back, and then you can take a taxi and go wherever you want to go. Just…come please" I said not able to stop my voice from breaking.

Adrian looked at me for a second and sighed with resignation.

He swayed as he stood up and he had to wrap his arm around my shoulders as I wrapped mine around his waist when I just wanted to let him rot for the way he hurt me.

"Need some help sweetheart?" Asked the guy at the door as I was hunched under Adrian's weight.

"Nobody can help me now" I whispered, and I knew that I had some quiet tears falling down my face.

Adrian had hit home, I had loved someone who didn't love me back, loved someone who was never supposed to be mine…David has been the perfect match for my sister, he was a god to me, he could do no wrong. Maybe that was why it hurt so much when Marie had been brought in front of the Council, when they wanted to send her to camps and he simply turned his back on her….His perfect image broke then, along with my heart.

I quickly glanced at Adrian who was sleeping on the seat beside me and I let my sobs out as quietly as I could. I wouldn't do that at the apartment, surrounded by people with super hearing. They wouldn't hear me cry and I knew that Adrian was way too drunk right now to hear anything.

I parked the car in the car park and cried some more. I cried for the pain Adrian just caused me, for my broken heart, for the fact that I felt helpless, and couldn't save him. When I was done, I rubbed my eyes, grateful for the dim parking light and called Eddie to come help with Adrian.

When Eddie saw me, he frowned.

"Don't ask, just help him up know. I did my job, end of discussion." I said standing straight, putting all my walls up again.

As soon as I made it to my room I reached for my cell. I knew it was late back on the east coast and David was probably already sleeping, but I had to try to call him now before I lost my nerve.

The cell went straight to voicemail. "Ummm Hello…well more goodnight now is it? It's me Sydney….Sydney Sage" I wanted to slap myself, how could I sound so retarded? "Ian told me you can maybe do something for me. Ummm call me back when you can. I have school but you can reach me between 12 and 1. I-ummm well call me." I hanged up.

That was brilliant alright. I threw myself on my bed looking at the ceiling.

Nobody ever loved you. Adrian's words were playing in my head over and over again like a litany.

I closed my eyes, clutching the pillow to my chest. It was a mistake to think I could stay here, with them, I did not belong here, it was not my world, not my life. I had to be with my own people, people who couldn't hurt me half as much as Adrian did tonight.