HELLO! Wow I haven't updated in so long. (For me, anyway.) Ya'll musta thought I was dead. Haha, kidding of course, but I have finally posted up a new chapter!

Sydney.

It was an excruciating long and boring plane ride from Texas to the Big Apple, and I was tired as hell.

Aunt Rhonda had agreed to the trip as long as I was always in contact with Duncan and brought her back a few handbags from her favorite store, Michael Kors, up in New York, since she couldn't go herself. There was some "Gucci fiasco" at her work.

She works at major company which delivers clothes to large outlets all over Texas. So, luckily, she could afford to take two teenage children in and still have time to go on her weekly shopping spree. Because her job keeps the cash rolling in like you would never believe.

She had given me one of her many- and I do mean many- credit cards and sarcastically said with a chuckle:

"If you go over your limit your ass is screwed, missy."

I sleepily woke up. For a minute I believed that the past three weeks had not happened at all and that I was going to wake up and see Iggy watching me with those soft and icy blue eyes.

But instead when I rubbed my eyes, I realized that-once again- reality had not lived up to expectations (as it often does).

I looked up to find the side of Travis's face.

Instead of Iggy's blue eyes, I saw a stormy gray ones.

And instead of Iggy's red hair, I saw Travis's dark brown hair shagging lazily around his head.

Instead of the super pale skin, I saw freckled cheeks.

Instead of unique wings, I saw a regular human being. Just like me.

But the difference between Iggy and Travis was that Travis wasn't 2% bird and did not randomly leave to say the world.

That and I wasn't in love with Travis.

I sighed and fixed my sloppy hair and simply threw my brother's dark green and black Monster hat on top.

"Well, good morning star shine." Travis greeted with the stupidest smile on his face.

"Shut up." I groaned as stretched out my arms.

Travis stood and dorkily kissed my forehead. "Do I need to give you a piggyback ride?"

I socked him softly in the shoulder.

"Travis Parker, you have to me the sweetest and stupidest person ever." I joked as he looped an arm around my shoulder.

"But those are the two main reasons you love me so much."

"Exactly." I rolled my eyes as I watched the flight attendant give the all clear to stand up.

Immediately I jumped up and stretched out.

Travis stood up and calmly threw his backpack over his shoulder and I slipped my bag's strap over my shoulder. I took a quick glance out the window and looked up at the New York sky. It looked different from home. Then I remembered, home was with Iggy…

I pushed the negative thoughts away quickly. I cast them away and focused on the better things.

I was in New York City, the city that never sleeps! Times Square and all! And -of course- for Maya, more stores than she can count!

Travis caught me staring out the window.

"Thinking about him?"

"Am now." I muttered v then paused and shook my head.

"No, no. Not anymore. I'm not going to let this get to my head. I'm not that girl. And he's not that boy…"

"That's my Sydney." Travis winced kindly, pulling me into a one armed hug as we met up with the rest of the gang, Duncan and Chandler's older brother, who you already know, Dom.

When we got out of the terminal and into the waiting area, the gang and I grouped together. I listened while Maya began babbling on about how this and that and Broadway and Times Square and I kinda tuned out after a while. I let my gaze drift off to focus on other things in the room.

A so called "sale" was happening at one of the little stores the airports have and it was slightly more crowded then the Bush airport in Texas.

Iggy…

STOP!

Happy thoughts. Happy… Thoughts…

"Syd. Syd!" Maya began snapping her fingers in my face bringing me back to reality. I threw the dreamy look off my face and shook myself.

"Sorry! Just slipping out again." "You sure your 'kay?" Ally asked sympathetically, obviously she had been reading what was so belatedly written all over my face.

"Fine." I declared promisingly. Not sure if it was a lie or not.

She shrugged just to agree, but her cocked eyebrow proved she didn't believe me.

"So… Game plan?" I asked quietly, avoiding her stare.

"Okay so we're headed to the cabs that are taking us and my uncle reserved us a rooms at the Best Western. So we'll go there unpack, hang out for a bit and head out for a nice night out!"

"House of blues here I come." I said dramatically tilting my hat to the side, gangster fashion, and smiled cheerily.

We had gotten picked up and had an adjoining room with the guys (except for Dom and Duncan who got separate rooms somewhere on the same floor), it was big as the penthouse room-compliments of Maya's super rich uncle, who owns a bunch of Chevrolet dealerships and is some amazing stock broker.

When we had all gotten settled in, a phone ring echoed in the unnecessarily-but-incredibly-awesome large room. Acting like she was on some international world tour, Maya picked up her phone and answered with a posh Madonna-like British impression. "'Ello dear? How is auntie Jennie dearest? I simply haven't seen her in ages" I sniggered and opened the full sized fridge trying to decide on what to eat.

Then after a laugh Maya said. "What's up Uncle Bret?" I picked up a soda, deciding to eat later

"Well One thing's for sure. Ally and Sydney are so not going to like that!" She giggled.

"What?" I asked, taking a sip.

"Sydney's not going to like what?" I repeated.

Maya ignored me and listened in deeply. "Oooo! Shopping time! Where and when?"

"What? What? What!" I cried, like a kid.

When she summed up the conversation, she finally answered me. "We are going to a gala party." She bubbled happily.

The excited grin dripped off my face like water droplets drip off icicles.

"Oh don't be like that Syds." Maya sighed.

"I don't do fancy. You know that." I stated bluntly.

She gave me her huge doe eyes and stuck out her lip.

"No May…" She stuck it out further and I couldn't take it.

"GAH! Okay, okay! I'll go. I'll go!"

"YAY!" She cried out happily and jumped out of her seat to hug me.

I rolled my eyes and did not hug back.

"This is a one time thing. Consider it your birthday gift." I muttered.

"Yippee! Yay!" She giggled as she ran across the room to tell everyone else. I shook my head. A "gala" party? Hmm what else amazingly surprising is going to happen on this crazy trip!