Dear Mr. Pessimist,

Do you ever look at the sky and try to make out what you see in the clouds? Do you ever wonder if you're the only person that sees the image? Maybe you should try it, sometimes it helps me forget about my problems for a while.

Sincerely,

Sydney

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tristan was asleep behind the counter by the time our shift was over. He had told me that he'd been studying non-stop and trying to get into a few different colleges, but kept coming up short.

"I'm going to a party tonight if you want to go, I'd love the company." He had said, loud enough for Bennett to hear from where he was in back baking. I had agreed, asking if I could bring Jess along.

"Sure, invite whoever you want. It's a Frat party, everyone that wants to go is invited."

Those words were how I ended up sitting in the booth across from a very bored looking Bennett as we watched Tristan's head finally fall on to the counter by the show case.

"Your notes are a pathetic attempt, you know. Why don't you just say it to my face?" Bennett eventually snapped, not even trying to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Because I don't want to get told how ridiculous or stupid I am." I answered, standing up, "And I'm not going to give up, Mr. Pessimist." I walked back toward the front of the store, feeling Bennett's eyes burning into my back the entire way up there. For once, I didn't feel the need to crawl into a hole in the ground, instead I felt as if I were on cloud nine and I wasn't going to let Bennett ruin that.

**

Once I had decided what to wear, I asked Jess to come pick me up. She showed up about an hour later then she should of.

"Sorry!" She cried, bursting through my front door without knocking, "Greg kept me over a little later. We were-"

"Spare me the details." I grumbled, pulling my jacket on. She nodded, trying to catch her breath as she took in what I was wearing.

"Is Syd all dressed up nice and pretty for her first college party?" She said, giggling a little. I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling a little self conscious.

I had always felt that Jess was the main attraction and I was just the small ride next to her. She was the outgoing, bubbly girl that everyone wanted as a best friend. She was also gorgeous, with her caramel hair and big brown eyes, it was no wonder guys were constantly cat calling after her.

She had been one of my main reasons for going after guys and trying to change them, she was one of the greatest people I knew, inside and out.

"Oh! Are you dressing up for Bennett? Are you two together?" She suddenly gasped, grabbing at my arm. I shook my head, looking down at what I was wearing to distract myself from her comment.

I hadn't put anything like she had on. With her perfect legs, she could pull off almost any dress. I had put on a dress myself, but it stopped a little below my knees instead of above them. I had grabbed my jean jacket and thrown it on top of that, sure that it was probably going to get cold.

"Don't look at me like that." She mumbled, pushing a strand of hair out of my eyes, "Did you do your make-up? Have I done that great of a job with you, my dear?" She laughed evilly as headed out of the house, locking the door behind me.

"Apparently you have, Master." I replied, smiling. She started the car, switching her Garth Brooks CD for Fall Out Boy.

"Now, if you don't talk to any college boys, then we're going to have to talk, okay? You need to open up to guys, and not the ones that you want to open up for you. The ones that you actually deserve, Syd. You're gorgeous, smart, and you have a great sense of humor. Get yourself a boyfriend and forget about this whole Bennett Banks crap." I glanced sideways at my best friend as she drove, forcing a smile to my face as I thought what I wanted to say to myself instead of saying it.

Oh, Jess. I thought, I wish I could.

*

"Freshman? Nah, man. She's with me."

I sighed in relief as Tristan threw his arm over my shoulder, nodding at one of his friends. The guy nodded back, moving out of the way so we were in the house.

I scanned the house for Jess, but I knew it was useless. She had met Greg here, and she had disappeared the second we got here.

"You want a beer?" Tristan asked, dropping his arm from my shoulder and gesturing toward the kitchen.

"Um, I don't know-"

"Let loose, Syd." He said with a crooked smile, grabbing two red cups from the table and walking over to the keg, "You aren't a little kid anymore." I nodded slowly, joining him in the kitchen.

"You looking for any guys in particular?" He asked once I was over there, leaning back against the table as he handed me a cup.

"What do you mean?" I muttered, giving him a quick look.

"You know, like what's your preference?" He pointed toward a group of guys standing beneath the stairs, "You've got your potheads there, your players, football and just douchebags included, right there. You've got your serious guys there, the ones that are ready to settle down." He tilted his cup toward the sliding glass door where a few guys were standing around a Mustang.

"You've got your stereotypical bad boys there. So, what do you like?" I shrugged, staring down into my cup.

I had always went after the boys with issues, the ones I knew I could help. I never realized that I didn't exactly have a preference when it came to me choosing from guys.

"I mean, you're pretty hot, Syd. You're also really cute and sweet, so I'd definitely recommended staying away from the assholes." I swear I heard him mumble something about Bennett under his breath a few seconds later.

"Can't I just stick with you?" I finally managed to say. His head whipped toward me, a smile stretching across his face.

"I'll give you a fair warning. I'm a fucking master at making parties great. So if I get shitfaced, you're the one that has to deal with me." I huffed out a sigh, returning his smile. At least helping a drunk person home was something I had experience with.

"You smell like cookies." Tristan said quietly, earning a confused look out of me.

"Uh, thanks. It's my new perfume." I joked. He laughed before nudging me with his cup.

"Drink." He ordered. I took a deep breath and took a swing of the beer, shutting my eyes as it slid down my throat. I had only drunk once before, and it had been one of the worst nights of my life.

"I have to pee." I announced, cutting off whatever Tristan had been about to say. I hurried past him and toward the bathroom down the hall, sighing in relief once I was able to pour the beer down the sink.

I lifted my head to stare at myself, my eyes widening a little when I saw how much color was in my face. I looked down a little, surprised to see how much support this bra was giving me.

"It's fine." I whispered, dropping my head into my hands, "It's just a party, Syd. You've been to a ton of them." I added, rubbing my temples.

Yeah, my mind shot back, and they always end with you waking up naked the next morning.

"Dammit." I hissed, taking a step away from the mirror. I was just about to walk out when I felt a hand grab my shoulder and spin me around. I barely even had enough time to say the name before the bathroom went black and screams broke out in the living room.

"Bennett?" I whispered, stepping back and slamming into the bathroom door.

"Sydney." He responded, his voice echoing through the bathroom, "I need your help."

***AN***

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~ChasingMadness24