Han accidentally slept through his first two classes the next day, having not set an alarm the night before. He would have just skipped the entire day, but the party was tonight and he wanted to make sure, face to face, that Sidney was still in for it.

Han made it just in time for gym class. They were playing basketball again. Han wasn't allowed to play, as usual, so he went and sat by the bleachers next to Sidney, who also wasn't playing at the moment. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey. I thought you weren't here."

"I wasn't. I slept in too late."

"So your parents just let you skip?" she asked skeptically.

"They weren't around," Han said with a shrug. "Anyway, you still on for the party tonight?"

She frowned slightly but gave a nod. "I feel like I'm making a big mistake but yes. I said I would go, so I will."

Well, that sounded just like the enthusiastic "yes" Han was hoping for. "If you really don't want to...."

"No, no. It'll be good for me to socialize, I think. I've kind of been in a bit of a bubble since I got here, in case you haven't noticed."

"You? In a bubble? Nah," Han said with a laugh.

Sidney backslapped his upper arm, but she was smiling. It was the most joyful he'd ever seen her. "What time's the party at anyway?"

"I guess everyone's gathering around nine. I can come pick you up then, if you want."

"Uh...sure. I guess that would be okay."

"Gimme your address."

Sidney recited it to him, and Han made a show of putting it to memory. Really, it didn't matter. He knew her address. It was in her file. A few minutes later, she got called in to play. "See you at nine," Han said to her as she jogged back out to the court. He hoped the party would prove useful. He needed to get moving on this mission, or he would be stuck back in this high school hell for way too long.

***

Han pulled up to Sidney's house a few minutes before nine. It was a cute little one-story house with a large yard. The neighborhood was nice, and not far from Han's own house. He got out of the car and jogged up the sidewalk to her front door. He looked down at himself, making sure everything was in order. He wore black jeans with a red and black flannel shirt. Han smoothed out the shirt before giving the door two hardy knocks.

A minute later, Sidney appeared at the doorway. Han took a step back, letting her through as he looked her over. She looked good. Her hair was down, and she was wearing a top that showed off her shoulders. 

"I've never been in a Tesla before," she commented as Han opened the passenger door for her. "Um, what're you doing?"

"Uh, I don't know, it seemed like the thing to do," Han said. That was the truth. He didn't often go around opening people's car door for them. It was just a strange instinct.

"I can open my own door, thanks," Sidney said with a smirk, then got in.

"Yep, right, of course," Han said, feeling like an idiot. He walked around to get into the car himself. He started the ignition and pulled out of her driveway. "You look nice," he commented nonchalantly.

"Thanks. I'm not really one for dressing up."

"Yeah, that seems about right," Han said, smiling over at her.

"Don't act like you know me," Sidney said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Well, there's something else to know about you. You turn into a preschooler when you're peeved."

Sidney just laughed as she buckled her seatbelt. 

It only took about five minutes to get to Jessica's house. Cars filled her driveway, so they parked on the street and walked over. A few people gathered in the yard, chatting. The front door was open, leaving just the screen door. They went inside and walked through the foyer to find a dance party taking place in the large living room.

Han felt a tap on the back of his shoulder. He knew it was Justin by his scent before he even turned around. "Hey, Man," Han greeted as if surprised to find him.

"Hey, guys," he greeted with a nod. "There are drinks in the kitchen if you're interested."

Han looked down at Sidney. She gave a shrug. "Yeah, sure."

The three of them walked to the kitchen, Justin leading the way. They had cans of Bud Light and Miller Light, along with dispensing coolers of some mixed drink that practically made Han gag from the sweet smell of it. Han went for the beer; Sidney poured herself a glass of the mixed drink. Justin already had his own glass.

With drinks now in hand, Justin led them to the basement, where a lot of people were hanging out in a quieter setting. There was a pool table, air hockey, and a Guitar Hero game going on.

For a while, they all just hung out down there. Sidney was being more sociable than Han had ever seen her, and things were looking good. All he needed now was to get some time apart with her to start asking the questions he needed to ask. Han was just about to ask her if she wanted to grab some air when the hostess, Jessica, and that girl Beverly came down the stairs.

"Hey, guys," Jessica greeted everyone cheerfully. "Having fun?" She went to the pool table and started playing and talking with some other kids.

Meanwhile, Beverly headed straight for Han. "I didn't think you were coming!" she said, one arm across her chest and the other hand holding her drink.

"I told you I would."

"Yeah, but I didn't see you at school. And then I haven't seen you all night. Have you been hiding out down here all alone?"

Han glanced over to where Justin and Sidney were playing a vigorous round of air hockey. "Not alone."

Beverly reached forward with her free hand and grabbed his arm. "Come dance with me," she said with a flirtatious look.

"Uh, I really don't think that's a good idea." With a pang Han realized that maybe this is what life was like - those who you wanted didn't want you, meanwhile you couldn't get away from those who you wanted nothing to do with.

"Well, then just come chat. Come on, we deserve your company, too. Let's go." She began to drag him towards the stairs, and Han reluctantly let her, not wanting to cause too much of a fuss.

Han was caught up with the popular crowd for quite some time. Every time he tried to escape, someone would grab him or call him back, mostly the girls. It was strange, since Han had gone throughout all of his actual high school without really getting noticed. By the time he had passed that awkward pubescent stage, he had been a kind of recluse because of working for the Collective. But this mission called for him to be completely normal, and apparently normalcy was more appealing to the girls at school. 

When several of the girls left to dance, Han was able to slip away. He escaped to the backyard, finding only a few people milling around, including a couple making out in the shadow of the house. Han walked out a little ways and leaned back against the fence with a sigh. He went to take a sip of his beer, just to find out that it was empty. 

Han bent his knee, pressing one of his feet against the fence as he let his head fall back. He was tired. He had slept plenty these nights, but no matter how many hours he got, it didn't seem to make up for all the lost hours that working for the Collective had cost him.

"Hey."

Han's head jerked up as his eyes snapped open, startled. He had been too dozed off to sense someone coming. Sidney was standing next to him, holding out a can of beer. She already had one for herself. Han grabbed it, cracking it open and taking a swig. "Thanks."

"You look tired."

Han nodded slowly. "I am a bit."

"Wild night last night?"

"Nah, just couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, me too."

Han glanced over at her. She was staring blankly out at the lawn. "Why?"

She looked up at him and bit her lip, as if she was unsure whether she should tell him or not. After a few seconds, she made the decision. "Nightmares."

"What about?" Han asked, trying not to sound overly interested.

Sidney gave a shrug. "It's nothing. Never mind. So what are you doing out here alone, anyway? What happened to Beverly and her gang?"

Han shook his head in annoyance. "That girl is going to get me into trouble. Why is she so interested if she has a boyfriend, anyway?"

"Because, she's the queen bee. She wants to be in control of everything."

"Well, it's irritating. I don't want to be rude, but I really don't want anything to do with her."

"Really? She's pretty hot."

Han shrugged. "If you're into that, I guess. Not my type."

"So what's your type, then?" Sidney asked, with a shy glance up at him.

Han gave a slow smile. "Brunettes who don't give a damn about what other people think."

Even in the darkness Han could see Sidney blush. He felt vindicated. He really could be James Bond, whatever Easy Squad thought. 

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Sidney said after a few moments of silence.

"Shoot."

"How'd you get the name Han? Is it Chinese? I mean, you weren't really named after Han Solo, were you?"

Han laughed. It wasn't the first time he had gotten that question. "I am half Chinese, actually, but my name is short for Hanuman. My mom's a professor of comparative world literature. She did her thesis on the Ramayana, you know, the Hindu text? Her favorite character was the monkey king, Hanuman."

Sidney burst into laughter. She didn't even try to hold herself back. Han couldn't help but join her. "So, you're named after a monkey?" she asked after she was done.

"Yep," Han said with a sly smile. Little did she know just how appropriate that name had turned out to be. Although whenever he even thought of comparing the gorilla to a monkey, he could feel its anger brewing within him. 

"That's priceless. Guess that's why you told Beverly your name origins were a secret."

Han looked over at her in surprise. "You were eavesdropping!"

"Oh, please, I try to drown out the conversation around me during class but Beverly's not necessarily quiet."

"Mmhmm," Han said, unconvinced. It wasn't lost on him that she seemed to have her eye on him just as he had his eye on her. His only question was why. He couldn't imagine she had any nefarious plans for him. "You know, my mom was also considering Gilgamesh. My dad talked her out of it, thank goodness. My sister's name is Antigone."

"You're joking!"

"Nope. Mom's a little strange, but I love her." Han took a beat, watching Sidney for a moment. She seemed at ease. Now felt like the right time. "Okay, now I have a question for you. Why'd you move here?"

"My mom got transferred for her job." Sidney shrugged. "It kind of sucked, having to transfer just before senior year. But, it was a good opportunity for her. We were kind of struggling, before. We're doing better now."

"What about your dad?"

Sidney shook her head, looking down at the ground. "I don't know. I never met him. He left before I was born."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Sidney waved her hand. "Don't be. You can't miss what you never had, right? This is kind of a bummer anyway. You wanna head back inside?"

She was putting her walls back up. Han knew it was better to back off. "Yeah, sure."

Han led the way back into the living room, and was immediately approached by Beverly. "Where were you?" she asked with a smile. "We need you for something."

"What's that?" Han asked, his voice carrying with it only a hint of the irritation he was feeling.

"We're playing spin the bottle!"

That definitely seemed like trouble. "Isn't that a little... childish?"

"That's what makes it fun! We haven't played since middle school. Come on, join us."

"I think I'll pass." Han walked past her and her gang, Sidney following closely behind him. Sidney didn't say anything about the encounter. They just went back to the basement, rejoining Justin and his friends.

After some time in the basement, Han looked around and realized that Sidney was gone. "Hey," he said, turning to this scrawny kid Andrew, who had been playing Guitar Hero with her the last time Han had seen her, "where'd Sidney go?"

"Bathroom. She left a while ago, though. There's probably a line."

Han handed his pool stick over to Andrew and headed upstairs. He didn't want to get so easily separated from her again. After all, she was the sole reason he was even there. Han found the bathroom. There was a girl he didn't know waiting in line.

"Hey," Han said, nodding towards the door, "do you know who's in there?"

"Some guy," she said with a shrug.

Han checked the kitchen, back yard, and front yard, but Han couldn't see Sidney. He reluctantly went up the stairs. He knew she wasn't in the first two rooms on the right, judging from the sounds and scents that were coming from within them. The bathroom was unoccupied, with the door open. There were two rooms left.

Han went to the first one and tried the knob. It was locked. Han knocked, and heard a shout from inside. Han called on the gorilla and gave the knob a hard twist, breaking the lock. The door swung open. 

Once inside, Han flipped on the light and found that there was another door, which was blocked from being opened by a chair. Han heard someone knocking from the other side. He moved the chair aside and pushed the door open. Sidney stumbled out of what appeared to be a walk-in closet and into him. Han grabbed her shoulders, stopping her from falling.

Han had only a moment to be surprised before she realized she was crying. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking. "Are you okay?"

"I don't like the dark," she said quietly into his chest, her voice hitching with sobs.

"Who did this?"

Sidney gave a sniff and pulled away from him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Take a wild guess."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's all right." She was calming down already, back in the light. "I'm okay. Sorry, I kinda freaked out." She looked down at the ground, wringing her hands with embarrassment. 

"You don't have to be sorry about that. We all have our fears. Are you sure you're okay?"

Sidney nodded and gave a sniff. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay."

"Do you wanna leave?"

"Yeah."

Han took Sidney's hand and led her out of the room and down the stairs. When they reached the foyer, Beverly spotted them and came up, followed by her posse. "You're leaving?" she asked in an accusing tone.

Han didn't answer as he opened the door and led Sidney outside. Unfortunately, Beverly didn't get the hint and followed them out. "Han! Come on! She's a loser! You don't want anything to do with her!"

It was like something out of a bad high school movie. Han almost couldn't believe it. He turned back to Beverly. "No," he said, "I don't want anything to do with you."

Beverly gaped at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Han turned away and he and Sidney continued down the street, towards his car.

They drove back to Sidney's house in a heavy silence. Han wished the night had gone differently. Aside from her having a few nightmares and a missing father whom he already knew about, he had learned nothing.

"Han?" Sidney asked quietly as Han pulled into her driveway.

"Yeah?" Han put the car into park and turned to face her.

"Why do you want to hang out with me?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Your life would probably be easier if you didn't spend time with me. I mean, I'm not really worth the trouble. Why are you doing this? Why are you so insistent on us being friends or... whatever?"

So she thought that Han must have some sort of ulterior motive. The irony of it was, she wasn't far from the truth, although Han was sure she wasn't thinking anything along the lines of what his motive actually was.

"Do I need a reason to like you?" Han asked, his voice slightly accusing.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I just... it doesn't make any sense. Why are you so interested in me?"

Even though Han did have a secret motive, he couldn't understand why Sidney would be thinking along those lines. She didn't give herself enough credit. She was smart, attractive, funny. A little rough around the edges sometimes, sure, but Han wouldn't necessarily label that as a fault. For some reason, her lack of confidence made him angry. "You know, I'm tired," he said. "I really should get home."

"Why won't you answer the question?" Sidney asked.

Han shrugged. "Because it's a stupid question."

"No, it's not!"

"Sidney, why wouldn't I be interested in you? You're an interesting person. I like you, okay? That's all there is to it. I thought I made myself pretty obvious too." Han shook his head, annoyed. "Never mind. You should go inside."

Sidney was still for a few moments, and then she opened the car door and slid out, walking quickly up to her door and vanishing inside. Han gave a sigh and let his head fall back against the headrest. That was definitely not how he wanted the night to go. Now she was never going to talk to him. 

So much for being James Bond. He was just being an ass.