SYDNEY

When Jay finally came to collect her and Terrence from the library, she had finished around two chapters in her book and was pleased to have had the chance to decompress.

"You ready to head out?" Jay asked, hands stuffed in his pockets as he approached their table.

Sydney nodded, marking her book, while Terrence across from her was almost completely packed by the time Jay finished his question, "Yep, everything good with you?"

Jay nodded, simultaneously grabbing Sydney's bag before she could heft it over her shoulder. "Yeah, was just talking to our coach about his investigation into your guys' tomfoolery," he drew out the word mockingly and Sydney abashedly smiled. With a glance over at Terrence, Sydney saw he was practically glowering.

Jay followed her line of sight and smiling equally as sheepish as she was, "Sorry dude, wasn't trying to keep it a secret that she and her band of misfits were the ones who pranked us the other night, just couldn't be bringing her any extra attention."

"Figures your mate would be Little Ms. Rudeness,"

Jay frowned at the name, and while Sydney gasped at the nickname Terrence coined her, she couldn't deny it. Terrence waved Jay away from saying anything, and pulled on his jacket and bag. "Alright will see you both later."

"As your beta and best friend, he's a weird choice." Sydney commented at his retreating form.

Jay laughed, "What's the story behind 'Little Ms. Rudeness?'"

A blush covered her cheeks and she pushed in her seat, trying to avoid Jay seeing her embarrassment. "Yeah, I kind of made the comment that you lacross guys are secretly smart."

This made him chuckle, "We aren't all just buff brainless dudes for you pretty girls to gawk at."

It was Sydney's turn to roll her eyes and the pair headed towards the library exit, "Alright now, I need to go home for dinner. I promised my sister, especially after pretty much vanishing on her last night."

"Cool, I'll follow you there."

Glancing at him walking beside her, she frowned, "Ugh, I thought you were just walking me to my car? Which, I might add Terrence could've done the same job, twenty minutes ago."

He shook his head no, "No can do Star, I'll follow you over. Plus, I want to meet this sister of yours."

"You can't just invite yourself over to my house!"

His handsome eyebrow quirked up, "Oh and why is that?"

She fumbled, "I didn't tell Rachael that anyone was coming over, and it would be rude to crash our dinner! Were you raised by wolves or something?"

His deep laugh filled the hallway, "Look what we have here, tomorrow's headline: 'Red Mountain High's new Joke-Star,' haha, get it, jokerster, but with Star, because I call you Star?" Jay laughed at his own play on words while mimicking what she had done this morning to him.

"Oh god," Sydney groaned at the lameness.

"Seriously though, you have some good puns there Star, but if we're going to be brutally honest, technically speaking I was. However, to answer your other question, yes, yes I am just going to shamelessly invite myself to your dinner table. Stop by and make sure your sister is shamelessly smitten with me, so then anytime I want to come over or kidnap you, all I'll have to do is flash her my award winning smile." Jay ended flashing her said charming smile.

☽✣☾

Against her arguing, Jay stood firm in wanting to follow her home, first for her safety and secondly so her family could understand he would be around more often. Simply put he wanted to ease his sudden intrusion into her life.

'Yeah like that could happen.'

Sydney was antsy during the drive home, the bends of the mountainous roads, all the way till she pulled into the long driveway of her home. Behind her she heard Jay shut down his engine, get out of his truck, close the door, and then he was at the side of her car waiting. Sighing, she climbed out of her Jeep, Jay held out an arm indicating for her to lead the way. She wasn't sure what to make of the whole situation, Jay and her barely knew each other, and only a handful of her friends had met her family and knew in full the darkness her family had experienced.

Opening the front door she waved Jay in and together kicked off their shoes, Sydney setting down her bookbag.

"Rachael, I'm home!"

Her sister's form fluttered through the doorway of the kitchen sidetracked, "Is Aaron there with you Syd?"

Begrudgingly Sydney waved for Jay to follow her into the kitchen, since there was no more curbing his true goal was meeting her family, laying down the ground works for him being around more. "No, this is my friend Jaycen from school. I invited him over to do some interview work, but I hope you don't mind if he stays for dinner.

Prodding in the stove Rachael waved her away, "No of course it's not an issue, dinner will be ready in about ten minutes so I don't know if that's any real time to get started on anything."

"We'll keep you company down here, then do work after dinner. Sorry I didn't give you a heads up, but Rachael this is a Jaycen, Jay this is my older sister Rachael."

Rachael turned from the oven and stopped in her tracks seeing Jay, then her eyes slid off of him and to Sydney. Sydney smiled sheepishly, seeing her sister trying to gauge the true relationship she had with this unfamiliar, attractive, athletic man in the kitchen.

Wiping her hands on her red checkered apron that was decorated with little cherry embrowdery at the top, her sister reached out a finely manicured hand, "Rachael, nice to meet you Jaycen."

True to his word, Jay gave his iconic flash of handsome straight beaming teeth, "The pleasure is all mine, Rachael, please just call me Jay."

Rachael smiled back, and Sydney internally groaned knowing she was already turning to mush over Jay's handsome gentlemen act.

"Sydney, why don't you pop upstairs and see if Aaron is in his room, I'll have Jay help me set the table down here while you do that."

Sydney was reluctant, but got the feeling from both Jay and her sister that they wanted to probe one and other for questions.

"Sure thing."

☽✣☾

JAY

With Sydney gone to the second floor, he waited for the slew of questions that were clearly bubbling in the older girl. He noticed she was trying to gauge him and make him slightly uncomfortable by not immediately diving in, and she keyed in ten minutes on the oven timer for what she was cooking. After that, she pulled the apron off over her head, then started pulling out dishware. Jay stood readily by to grab the things to bring to the dining table.

"Tell me about yourself Jay, I don't believe Sydney has mentioned you to me before."

Jay chuckled, "Yeah, Sydney and I only recently met actually. She is interviewing my english class for the yearbook and the lacrosse team."

She nodded, "I know she's talked about the english class, remind me again what that class was for, I know she said the spread was to promote the class."

Jay grabbed the plates she had selected out of the cabinets and piling the silverware and napkins on top, took them to the table.

"Of course, its a college level class that offers us writing and speaking opportunities to better aid a wide range of us for different paths after highschool."

"And what is the path you're aiming for?"

A small alarm ticked in Jay, this wasn't exactly what he wanted to talk about, but he yielded to the panic and said truthfully, "My father wants me to take over the family business, but I want to consider personal writing as a career truthfully."

The girl considered his response then looked away from Jay setting the table, to a wall of photos lined behind their dining table, "Sounds compelling, I took over our father's business myself, so I know how intimidating it can be to do that."

'Maybe honesty would get him further with Sydney's family.'

'As honest as you can be with our mate's family.'

"What company is that?" Jay asked resting the forks on top of the napkins to the right of each dish.

Sydney's sister pulled her gaze away from the wall, and gestured to the counter dividing the kitchen from the dining room, papers littering the black granite. She pulled down a wine glass and a bottle of wine and proceeded to fill it while explaining, "It's an architecture firm, my father and his father started it from the ground up over twenty-five years ago."

Done with the table, Jay headed towards the counter and saw a blueprint overlaid with translucent paper as well as other packets of paper alongside it. "That's admirable, my dad would want to retire after I settled in."

Rachael waved the glass of wine, letting the red liquid circulate, "Unfortunately, our father passed away before I could express my intentions to become a partner in the company. I haven't had as many years of experience as I'd like before taking over, but someones got to keep up with the electric bill for this place." She raised her glass slightly to indicate the rather lofty home.

Jay wasn't too sure where to go with the conversation, he knew from Sydney and Mat's hushed conversation in the hall there was more to her father, but in between yesterday and today, there hadn't been any time to do any snooping.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

'Way to go jackass.'

Nevertheless Rachael smiled, "Thank you Jay. I know you being a new friend to Sydney means you might not be family with her life at home, but it makes me happy to see she is still getting out there and talking and meeting people."

'If only you knew that it was Sydney being attacked that really propelled us together...'

Merifully Sydney entered the room, so Jay didn't have to follow that up.

"Aaron is showering real quick, I told him we were having a guest over."

Nodding at her sister, Rachael said, "That's fine, we have a few minutes left on the meatloaf, and Jay was just telling me about that english department interviewing you've been involved with."

Sydney was retrieving her own drink from the fridge, "Yes, between the english department coverage and lacrosse Jay and I have been hanging out more, and I know how you're always concerned I only hang out with Mat, Meg, and Emmery."

Jay laughed at this, and when they both looked at him, he raised his hands defensively, "Well you do."