Chapter Text
Recap from the ending of Chapter 10 of Medical School AU by hiJaq:
"Sydney stopped dead, the smile fading from her face, the flowers falling from her hand. She turned her back to them and left, her betrayed heart a wounded animal, snapping its teeth, clawing at her chest."
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Sydney walks away from Maggie’s door feeling wounded, feeling defeated and feeling embarrassed all at once. She can’t be near Maggie’s apartment. She needs to get away as far as she can and as fast as she can. If only she could make herself disappear in that instant.
She retreats to the direction she came from and almost running she keeps going, not knowing where to go with her hopes crushed. She keeps on going with eyes blurred by streaming tears until she feels her legs hurt and trembles from the long walk and the shock. The shock from the realisation of losing the one that she loves is all too much to bear.
She looks around her to see where she is but she feels numb inside. Without much thought she enters the nearest quiet looking diner to find a place to sit. She feels extremely tired and thirsty. When she is seated, she touches her face. Her reflection in the mirror wall looks hauntingly haggard and sad. Then only she realised that she has been crying all the way here until there is no more tears to shed. Maybe that explains the terrible thirst she feels in her throat.
She calls for cold drink but declines the food. Her appetite was long gone the moment she saw Maggie and Bree locked lips. The image of them kissing plays over and over again and plays trick on her that she crumples all over again. She hides her face in her hands when the waitresses cast worried looks her way. She quickly dries her eyes and nose with the handkerchief she always has with her.
She has planned it all. She has planned a great evening to woo her Maggie back now that she is more confident with herself and surer with what she really wants in her life. She has never been so sure about any girl than she is about Maggie these past few weeks that she is back in Harvard. The other girls in her life were great but she never feels the same intensity with them like she felt when she was with Maggie. With Maggie it was like the moon, the stars, the sun, the rainbows; it was beautiful and perfect. Maybe if she didn’t leave Maggie for Oxford, they would still be together. But when she left, she was hurting too.
When her drink comes, she quenches her thirst right away while looking aimlessly outside through the glass window.
That’s when she sees some familiar faces walking outside the diner holding hands. She can’t believe her eyes.
Bree and Violet.
“Didn’t Violet left Bree a week ago?”
“Didn’t Violet left the school a week ago?”
“And didn’t Bree just kissed Maggie? Did she cheat on her? How dare she!”
All that were said out loud in Sydney’s throbbing head.
Sydney is confused but she can’t stand someone doing that to Maggie. She quickly drops some dollar bills on the table for her drink and the waitress’s tip and rushes outside to face Bree before they walk further.
As soon as she makes it outside the door, she is face to face with Bree and Violet. Both girls are surprised and shock to see her there. Probably they are more shock to see Sydney’s red furious face than she being there.
“Katz!”
“Sydney!”
Violet exclaims the former and Bree the later at the same time.
“What are you doing here?” Bree asks her with nervousness in her voice.
Sydney narrows her eyes. “I was about to ask you the same question,” she says coldly.
Bree swallows nervously. Not knowing what Sydney means, she asks again.
“What do you mean?”
Sydney points towards Violet with her eyes and looks at their laced hands.
“Oh, Violet just came back tonight,” Bree says.
Sydney looks at Violet. Violet does not know what to do so she looks at Bree and looks back at Sydney.
Finally Violet says, “Yeah, I found out the hard way that my life sucked without her.” She admits between guilty and embarrassment.
“Owh..you know your Kelly Clarkson, baby” Bree looks at Violet with her puppy love eyes.
“Yeah, you didn’t think I will not pick up when you played her songs every time and every space that you can, do you?” Violet says and she brings Bree’s hand to her lips and kisses it. And that melts Bree in the heart.
“Owh baby,” Bree whispers softly while she gazes into Violet’s eyes again.
Sydney has to clear her throat to remind them that she is still there.
“Oh, sorry Sydney,” Bree looks at Sydney shyly.
“Bree, can I talk to you alone for a second?” Sydney asks. Bree and Violet look at each other before Violet nods and lets go of Bree’s hand.
Bree follows Sydney to a five meters distance away from Violet. Sydney does not want to put Bree in an awkward position with Violet now that they are getting back together. She is mature enough to think about that.
“Bree, what is going on here?” Sydney asks.
“Are you playing around with Maggie and Violet at the same time? Because if you are, you are in big trouble – from me,” Sydney clenches her jaw for emphasise.
“What do you mean?” Bree asks, clearly unsure of what Sydney means. But deep inside she knows what she has done to Maggie, but Sydney wouldn’t know that, would she? Unless…she saw them that evening.
“I saw you and Maggie kissed this evening.” Sydney nails it directly to the wall.
Bree’s eyes open wide in shock.
“Were you spying on us?” She asks.
“No I wasn’t. I was there to invite Maggie out, when I saw you two through the open curtains.” Sydney admits bitterly. She shifts in her feet feeling uncomfortable.
“Yeah,..well, we didn’t actually kissed. I kissed her.” Bree looks at Sydney’s face and quickly looks down when she feels Sydney’s eyes burning into her.
“Did you see her politely stopping me too? She declined me, said she wants to be with someone else.” Bree looks back at Sydney to see her reaction. Sydney swallows hard and her eyes full of anticipation.
Sydney’s hands are clenched deeply in her coat pockets as she waits nervously for Bree’s further explanation.
“She wants to be with you. It is still you, she said.” Bree breaks it to Sydney.
“She said that?” Sydney asks almost in whisper.
Bree purses her lips and nods once.
“Do you have feelings for Maggie?” Sydney asks. “I have to know,” she adds.
“I guess I admire her, being brilliant, caring, beautiful and all. I was angry when she declined me, but now I am glad she did. Because when Violet called me to tell me that she is back here for me, my heart was never happier.” Bree says.
Sydney can't help the jealousy creeping inside her when Bree listed all the things she admires in Maggie. But she can't blame her, those traits were only some of the many that attracted her to Maggie long time ago.
“I guess I was just looking for substitute to heal my broken heart. But please don’t tell Violet about this. I don’t want to hurt her feeling. Nothing happens between Maggie and me aside than the forced kiss you saw,” Bree pleads.
Sydney feels relieved and she takes a deep breath and exhales as she says “Okay” to Bree.
Bree smiles. “I will be with Violet tonight. I won’t go back there till tomorrow to collect my stuffs at Maggie’s place. And Alex is also out on a date with Dr. Harris. So you might want to…” Bree trails off as she gives hints to Sydney to go over to Maggie.
“Yeah..okay,” Sydney nods. She gets what Bree means. “Thanks,” she murmurs before she waves at Violet as she leaves them there.
“Hey Sydney,” Bree calls out. “You are a lucky girl.” She adds and smiles at Sydney.
“I hope so.” Sydney smiles back.
Sydney gets a cab so that she can reach Maggie’s place as quickly as possible. She doesn’t want to waste any more time. She will do whatever it takes to win her girl’s heart back.
When she’s in the cab, a message comes in her phone.