Sydney's POV
After hearing out Jill's story, or Adrian's, I guess, I knew the plan wouldn't be that easy. I desperately wanted to go with Adrian, but Zoe was going to be hard to convince. After classes ended, I still had my free study break to come up with a better plan.
Thinking it through, I managed to pull something together.
I caught up with Zoe, right outside her classroom door. She was talking to some girl from her class, and when she saw me, she said her goodbyes and came over.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked.
"I have some news," I started. "The Alchemist's believe that you aren't getting the full experience here. They called me to explain that you needed more time without me there interfering. They want to see if you can actually be in the field without support."
She looked worried. Of course, this was a complete lie. Mostly. I did contact the Alchemist's and told them the idea that Zoe should get some alone time with the Moroi and Dhampir's so that she could really truly experience the life of an Alchemist in the field. They agreed, eventually, and I just had do convince Zoe.
"So what I am saying is that tonight, you are going to go out with them. They all need some winter attire," I continued. Winter attire would be pretty much the same as all the other seasons, since Palm Springs was hot all year round, but jeans or pants would become an option since it wasn't as blistering hot as it was in the summer. "Also, with Christmas coming up they all want to buy each other gifts. So you are going to go to the mall with everyone."
"Alone?" She asked, looking frightened. "Come on Sydney, didn't you mention to the Alchemists about yesterday and how I was alone with them?"
Darn it. I was hoping she wouldn't bring it up. "I did, but they wanted you to also get experience doing something not so routine. I mean, you've tagged along with the blood feedings before, and they want to have you experience something new. Shopping, with them, is going to be that new experience. Then, afterwards, I will report back based on the experience of everyone. Trust me Zoe, they do this all the time to Alchemist's in training."
"Shopping? They make them go shopping?" She frowned.
"Well, shopping or something else. Just spend a few hours with them, have some supper, and come back. I'll also be interviewing everyone to see how the experience was, so remember to act professional." I added that part in so that she would be nicer. Hopefully, it would work.
She took a deep breath. "Alright, and what will you be doing exactly?"
"I have to go to the Palm Springs Historical Society, for Ms. Terwilliger. Some project she is working on requires information from there," I told her.
"She sure requires a lot from you." Zoe muttered. "I don't get it, why would you do all that. You're just supposed to be like passing, not actually being the best student on campus."
"I don't mind it, I actually liked school when I was in it," I replied. "You know that."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I remember. I also remember dad getting mad when I didn't get as high of grades as you. That was fun." She added sarcastically.
I smiled. "Sorry, I know it was hard on you to have such an intelligent sister."
She laughed, a sound that I rarely heard from her anymore. "Whatever. You got the smarts, and I got the looks."
"I think we both got the looks," I frowned.
She didn't say anything, she just shrugged. We got back to the dorm, and I texted Eddie explaining what was happening tonight. I only mentioned the shopping part, and not what I was doing with Adrian. He didn't know about our relationship, no one did expect Jill, and it would stay that way. Moroi and humans, let alone Alchemist's, weren't supposed to be together romantically. It would be frowned upon by both our sides. So the less people that found out, the better.
Around five, Zoe went to meet the others in the front. I gave my keys to Zoe, telling her to pass them along to Eddie. I didn't want to give up my vehicle, but no one else had a car. Zoe didn't look happy when she left, but at least she agreed to go. And with her gone, I got ready for my date with Adrian. He would pick me up here around six, and we would grab a bite to eat before going to his campus for a movie. All that Jill mentioned was it was about cars.
I opened up my closet and view the clothing that hung inside. I was stuck on what to wear. I mean, it was a date. An actual date, where Adrian and I would be going out in public. I couldn't just wear my regular clothes, I needed to dress it up a little. But after searching through the closet for ten minutes, all I decided on was a pair of skinny jeans that I managed to buy a couple of weeks ago when I went lingerie shopping. Adrian appreciated the bras, but that was all he had seen. We were moving slow, and I really didn't mind. The skills that Adrian had with only kissing and making out, drove me insane. And I think the whole mystery of my body made Adrian go crazy too. It was a perfect match, though I knew eventually we would go further, past anywhere that I'd gone before. It was exciting, and nerve racking. Adrian had all the experience, whereas I had none. I knew that it didn't bother him, but it kind of bothered me. I was used to knowing everything and always being the smartest one in the room. On this particular subject, however, I was possibly the dumbest one.
I put those thoughts aside, though, as I pulled the skinny jeans on. They were darker jeans, which hugged my legs in all the right places. I had gained about five pounds, so I actually had a bit more curves now. After Adrian gave me the weight gaining advice, I hated him for it. But I realized he was actually right, especially after trying on a couple of bras in a size up. Of course, five pounds was good enough for me, I didn't want to gain anymore.
Still looking through the tops, I searched Zoe's side, growing desperate. Her style was more colorful than mine, but still modest. Our father's influence, I was sure. She had two red tops, and I immediately decided to wear one of them. Adrian liked me in red.
The one top was a t-shirt style with ruffles going down the front. The other top was long sleeved, but it had a bigger dip in the chest region. I tried on both, and decided to go with the second one. I, of course, put on a tang top with black lace underneath, but it was a top that showed the figure a bit more. So I decided to go wild tonight.
After the outfit choice, I looked at my hair, and knew it was already styled perfectly straight. I didn't worry about changing it. For makeup, I added a thicker eye liner line, and some darker eye shadow to give a bit of a smoky eye effect, but nothing too drastic. Then I put on a layer of lip gloss, and I was ready. Checking the time, I knew I had to get going.
I made my way downstairs and outside in a matter of minutes. I was early, and I didn't see Adrian's car yet, so I took a seat on one of the benches. My phone rang, and I looked at the number.
"Hello?" I answered wearily.
"Sydney, good. I was wondering if you could do me a favor tomorrow." Ms. Terwilliger's voice came through.
"What is it?" I sighed. At least it wasn't for tonight.
"I have an order of books coming into a special bookstore downtown, and I won't be able to make it there to pick it up. They are important books, and I can't let them sit in the store."
"What kind of important books?" I asked.
"Magic ones, of course. But they are rare, and in the wrong hands, it would be disastrous. Can you pick them up? They usually arrive around noon, but go earlier and wait for the truck to come."
"Alright," I agreed. "Just give me the address." She did, and after writing it down, I hung up. Tomorrow was Saturday, so there wasn't school going on, but being away from Zoe yet again wouldn't be good. She wouldn't be happy about me leaving her again, but at least this time, my excuse with Ms. Terwilliger would be honest and not made up.
I heard a car honk, and jumped. Looking over I saw Adrian's beautiful yellow car parked by the curb. The car's name was the Ivashkonator. Though the car looked impressive, my eyes instantly went to the tall, hot guy getting out of the driver's seat. He walked over, and opened the passenger door.
Getting up of the bench, I made my way over. I took in the dark jeans he wore, that looked like they cost a fortune, which they probably did. But they just looked so good in all the right places on Adrian. He was also wearing a grey cardigan type sweater with a green shirt underneath. I swear, every waking minute of his life he looked like a male model.
"Hey, you look nice." I told him as I arrived. "Really nice."
He eyed me up and down. "Nice is not a word I would use to describe you. I would use a word much more-"
"Hey, we are still on campus." I said, stopping whatever dirty language was about to come out of his mouth. "People think we are related here."
He glanced around. "No one is here. Or watching."
I too peered around, and he was right. The campus was empty. Everyone must have plans for Friday, I supposed. "Oh."
I looked back up at him, and that is when his lips met mine. It was brief, but it did leave me breathless in the end. Adrian had that effect on me. I smiled, and got in the car. He came in on the other side after closing my door. We drove off.
"So where are we going for dinner?" I asked, curious.
"It's a surprise," he responded.
I rolled my eyes. "It's dinner, Adrian. How much of a surprise can it be exactly?"
"When Adrian Ivashkov is around, the surprises and mystery is endless, Sage."
"Did you seriously just refer to yourself in third person?" I questioned, smiling.
He never responded. Instead he turned up the radio, and continued to drive for about five minutes longer. I actually was surprised when we got to a convenient store. All I did was look at him.
He finally gave in and talked first. "Just trust me."
With that he got out, and went inside. I assumed I was supposed to wait in the car. I eyed the time, and then I glanced up at the store. Was he really getting dinner at a convenient store? I prayed this was a practical joke and he would come out saying he got me, and we would drive to a nice restaurant that had actual seats. Was that too much to ask for?
I got my hopes up when he came out of the store. But those hopes were shot down when I saw the bags in his hands. Not to mention, the slushes.
He got in and smiled.
"What did you get?" I asked tentatively.
"Something, I am sure you have never tried before," he responded. He proceeded to pull out two slushes, one that looked orange and red. The other was brown. Then he got out two hotdogs, a container of nachos with more cheese in it than actual nachos, and two bags of chips.
"Seriously, Adrian? There must be a weeks' worth of calories in this."
He smirked. "Just pretend calories don't exist, Sage. Just enjoy, and don't think about how unhealthy this must be. Just taste and eat. And thank me, of course."
He took a big bite of one of the hotdogs and sighed. "So good." He proceeded to eat, and comment on everything. I finally took one of the nachos, though it could have been pure cheese for all I knew, and stuffed it in my mouth. I swallowed, and Adrian stared at me, waiting for a response.
"It's…good. Really good. But really bad for you. So bad." I told him, really liking the food.
He laughed. "Kind of like me huh?"
I choked a bit on the food. And had to cough and take a sip of the brown slush to get the food down my throat. I looked over at him, and he had an amused look on his face. "Let's just eat and see that movie." I said, taking a bite of the hotdog.
He laughed harder. "You're so adorable when you blush."
"I think you mean, I am so adorable when I choke and almost die." I retorted.
Shaking his head, he continued to devour the food and slush. I managed to eat my hotdog, and like two more nachos. My slush was half full still when I threw it away. Adrian and I decided to save the chips for the movie. Although he mentioned something about popcorn and soda, I just ignored it and decided that I would not eat anymore tonight. Although I wasn't as hard-core healthy as I was a few weeks ago, I still had my limits. And this night was turning out to be unhealthy overload.
We made it to the school with a good twenty minutes to spare before the show started. I hadn't actually been the college before, and I suddenly wondered why. I mean, it was amazing. The buildings were vast and beautifully crafted. The architecture was one thing, but the literature and knowledge that these buildings held were a complete amazement. I wish I could have been assigned as a college student, rather than high school. But I knew that I had to be close to Jill. I wondered what they would do if this protection of Jill still continued into next year. I mean, Eddie and I would graduate (again). So wouldn't we be assigned to some sort of post-secondary? Of course, next year was a long ways off. It was only December. By the time June came along, we could all be in separate places. Queen Vasalissa could have made changes and Jill could be safe once again. Then what would happen to me? A rebel Alchemist who just happens to be in a relationship with a Moroi.
I looked up at that Moroi, and noticed him looking down at me. "What?" I asked.
He put his arms around my waist, touching my lower back. I wrapped mine around his shoulders. We were in an embrace, and we didn't have to worry about anyone caring or wondering why a brother and sister would do something like this. We also didn't have to worry about Alchemists coming in and finding us, no one knew we were here. It was…fantastic.
He smiled. "I'm just glad you could get away for this. The movie is probably going to be the worst thing ever made, so I do apologize in advance, but I am glad that you are here. With me."
I tiptoed up and met his lips with my own. I started out slow, moving my lips over every part of his, memorizing each portion. Then things heated up when he added his massive kissing skills, and I had to force myself to pull away, or else I was sure we were going to miss the movie.
I searched his eyes. "Well the good thing is, if the movie is a total bust, at least we will be together." I moved my hands into his hair, playing with a couple of strands. I continued, "We'll be sitting beside each other. Really close." I moved my body right up against his, separating any space between us. I thought I heard him make a moan. "Also, theaters are dark right? Meaning no one could really see us. It would be like we are sort of alone." I moved my hand to his cheek, and used my fingers to trace his lips. "Of course, I may actually like the movie, since it relates to cars in a way."
He interrupted. "Nope. You will hate the movie. You'll be so bored by it that we will definitely have to do something else to preoccupy that hour and a half."
I smiled, and stepped back. "Yeah, maybe just eat a bunch of popcorn or something."
He stepped forward, making us embrace once again. "Screw the popcorn." He leaned in and just started kissing me when a voice called out his name.
We both jumped and pulled a part. I think it was instinct or something. Getting caught was a constant thought on both of our minds. We had to get used to the idea that tonight, no one would care about seeing us together. I think Adrian had the same idea, since his hand grabbed ahold of mine, and he entwined his fingers through my own.
"Hey, Adrian! You made it!" A guy with super spikey red hair and a neon green shirt that said Want to see if I glow in the dark? approached us. "And you must be the girlfriend." He smiled at me.
Adrian cut in. "Yep, Ian this is Sydney. And Sydney, this is Ian. He's in my art class. He is also the guy that scored us the movie tickets."
"Car Lot," Ian said. "Best movie ever."
I smiled. "Yeah, sounds great. Adrian and I were, um, just discussing it."
I heard Adrian laugh, but it was Ian who talked first. "I do apologize for forcing you guys into it, but at least I gave you something to do on a Friday night."
"I can think of a thousand other things to do on a Friday night," Adrian responded jokingly.
I nudged him and turned to Ian. "Thank you for the tickets, I'm sure the movie will be great."
"Thanks for the support. I doubt it, but thank you Sydney. Might I add, Adrian chose a good one," Ian winked at me and patted Adrian's shoulder. "She's hot, smart, from what you told me, and nice. Definitely a keeper, Adrian."
Adrian squeezed my hand. "I just hope she does housework and makes a decent sandwich. I mean, I have yet to see the woman cook."
I took my hand out of Adrian's hand and slapped his arm. "If you keep talking like that, I won't be a keeper."
Ian laughed. "If you break up, I am single. Just you know, FYI."
Adrian put an arm around me, bringing me into him. "No way man, she's mine. Even if she doesn't cook. I mean, my arm hurt's, at least I'll know that if a mugger ever comes, she can protect me."
I rolled my eyes. "Isn't that movie starting?"
Ian checked the time on his phone. "In like five more minutes. Guess it's time to get a seat. Some friends and I have a section saved if you want to join."
Adrian looked at me and replied, "No, I think we wanted something less crowded. Sydney here doesn't like a big crowd."
Ian smirked. "I'm sure that's that reason." And with that, we entered the building. I went to find a seat, while Adrian headed to the concession stand to buy some drinks and popcorn.
