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

Chapter 3 - A Bad Night and a Brawl

By the end of the short, three-day week, Sydney was beginning to feel a little more relaxed in her classroom. She even decided to make her desk feel a little more personal. She placed a couple of framed pictures and a few little trinkets that made her smile around her desk blotter. Nathan spent his last two lunch periods with her and while this day was no different, he certainly was. He entered her room, his eyes a little more tired than they had been, his clothes slightly more wrinkled, and his expression neared exasperation.

"Nathan, are you okay?" Sydney asked, concerned.

"Very long night followed by a very long day," he answered, his voice matching his appearance. He cleared his throat and did his best to perk up. "You, I see, are making yourself at home." He noticed the changes on her desk.

Sydney smiled. "Well, they haven't scared me off yet, so I figured it might be safe. Maybe it'll show them I'm not going anywhere."

"Excellent thinking." He couldn't help but to take a peek at the pictures. "Family?"

"Yes and no." Nathan raised an eyebrow. "This one is Arlen, the one I told you about on my first day," she said, pointing to a picture of her best friend hugging her, both of their smiles wide. "Not blood, but may as well be and I'm pretty sure I'd be lost without him." Nathan smiled now, his face a little brighter. "This one," she said referring to the other photo and blushing, "is my boyfriend, John." I should not be saying boyfriend like that at my age.

"Ah." Nathan pulled up his usual chair and took out his lunch. "Been together long?" He quickly added, "Oh, you don't have to answer that, just making conversation that's not school related."

"It's fine," Sydney said, her smile growing. "Only a few months. I met him around the end of May while on a field trip with fifth graders." She told Nathan about the sort of work he did, how he just left for Chicago a few days ago - then realized how long she'd been talking. "Wow, that's a whole lot of 'me time.' I'm so sorry." She cleared her throat. "How about you? I know your daughter is in my class."  She tried to steal a glance at his ring finger, but he noticed.

"Divorced. Baggage. Not exactly a story that lights up the room the way yours did."

Embarrassed, Sydney threw her various wrappers in the trash. "I'm so sorry."

Nathan shook his head. "You already said that and you shouldn't be. It's nice to know that love isn't dead." He got up and threw his trash away as well. "That sounded bitter; like I said, bad night, bad day."

"I've had my share of those, I promise."

"Maybe," he mumbled.

Feeling guilty for reasons she was unsure of, she spoke before she thought. "My ex-fiancé left me for my best friend." She wished she could take the words back. Why on earth would I say that to someone I've known for two and a half days?

Nathan paused and turned very slowly on one heel. "You said Arlen was your best friend."

"Uh huh."

"And Arlen's a guy."

Her face reddened. "Uh huh."

"A guy who..." Nathan's eyes went wide. "Okay, I'm guessing that was a bad night."

"I told you I understood. Maybe I don't know the exact details, but I'm pretty sure I know low points."

"Did you tell me that to make me feel better?"

She sighed. "I have no idea why I told you that. Doesn't exactly paint me in the best light, now does it?"

"Sounds like you've bounced back well enough." Nathan rubbed at his forehead. "That's a good thing." He smiled at her, but it was pained. Whatever happened the night before had certainly taken its toll. The bell rang and Nathan made his way toward the door.