New Beginnings (Charlie Bartlett Fanfic Starring Robert Downey Jr.)

Chapter 8 - Mistletoe

The weeks passed and, true to Nathan's word, the aching did dull. Sydney and Nathan made the diner a weekly ritual and the ground rules were very simple: no talking about work. They kept the conversations light for the most part, neither pressing about certain issues.

As Christmas approached, Nathan all but begged Sydney to go to the district's Christmas party. He had to go, Joe made that extremely clear; he needed to show his good side after all that happened at the beginning of the school year. Nathan didn't want to face the masses alone and was grateful when Sydney finally broke down and agreed.

The party was held in a reserved banquet room at the local Embassy Suites. Inside, music was playing and faculty from all the schools in the district were laughing, carrying on, and generally having a good time - Sydney especially, though she couldn't really place why. She felt light, carefree, and happier than she had in some time. When she spotted Nathan, who arrived much later than expected, she ran up to him, her hands going to his shoulders.

"I'm so glad you talked me into coming here!" she giggled. "It's not evil at all! People are even being nice."

"Why wouldn't they be?" he asked.

"'Cause I'm 'The Sub' remember? I'm not really one of them." Her hands were still on him. "Where the hell have you been, anyway, hm? You ask me to come and support you and then you don't even answer your phone."

Nathan was instantly apologetic, but thought Sydney was acting strange. "I'm sorry. There was an issue with Susan and her mother, then my phone died. Are you feeling all right?"

"Fantastic!" She looked to her left and saw someone that she knew. "Oh! I totally went to high school with her!" She ran across the room and Nathan couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

In the hour that passed, Nathan was sucked into a horrible conversation about his downfall as principal of Western Summit High; he tried, valiantly, to squirm out of it since it started. Sydney proved to be his savior...sort of. She strolled over to him, still giggling like one of his students, her cheeks red. Nathan excused himself from the conversation.

"Syd, you're a bit flush. Are you sure everything's okay?"

Sydney put her mouth to Nathan's ear. "I found mistletoe. I shouldn't be surprised, Christmas decorations and everything." She took Nathan's hand and started to weave him through the crowd. When she stopped, she looked up and Nathan swallowed. "See?"

"Uh, yeah. Very nice. They went with the real deal, not plastic. Thank you for showing me." He started to walk away, but Sydney grabbed his hand again.

"Hey, don't you know what you're supposed to do under this stuff?" Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he kissed her cheek, then once again tried to leave. "Nathan?"

"Sydney, I'm not quite sure you're in the best state of mind right now."

"What, you think I'm crazy?" she asked playfully.

Nathan sighed. "No," he answered, his voice gentle. "I think you're drunk."

"Huh? No way, it's a cash bar and they're overcharging for bottom shelf liquor." She moved closer to him. "Don't you wanna kiss me? It's a tradition."

"Have you had the punch tonight?"

Sydney smiled. "Yeah, a lot of it, actually. I was waiting for you for over...wait, you didn't answer my question!"

Nathan took her hand this time and searched the crowd. He found who he was looking for right away. "Rick, where's the bottle?"

"Gardner, hey, how's the nose?" the boys' gym teacher prodded.