Sundays with Sydney

"Hello, hello!" Sydney shouted over the roaring applause of the audience as she walked across the platform. It had been weeks since she was last seen in the 21st Century Bluestocking Studio and the crowd had immediately jumped from their seats with joy at the sight of her. One member had even burst into tears, unable to contain his relief and excitement.

Sydney herself, however, maintained perfectly composed and gracefully sat on the small plush chair that rested on the left side of the stage, next to a noticeably empty loveseat.

"Thank you all for coming and for waiting a terribly long time for the next installment of the Blue-Stocking Collab. I bring you some good news and bad news." Her words quieted the spectators' cheers to soft whispers. Gossip and rumors quickly circulated around the room. Was she leaving? From the Collab? From the blog? So soon? Things were said to be getting tough at the studio...

"No, I am not leaving, if that's what you're thinking," Sydney said, stopping the room to a unbearable stillness. "I would be tortured and killed by the other members before I could even hand in a slip. What I wanted to say was that I'll be posting more frequently and will be more involved in the blogoverse." She raised a hand to stop the clapping that was roused by her statement. "That was the good news. The bad news is that I haven't written the story yet and it might take a few more weeks for me to actually start it."

The reaction this time? A loud "boo", a flying rotten tomato, and a lucky step to the side.

"I'm out of touch with writing stories," she continued, "and I feel like a newborn learning how to walk on her first day. But I have someone very special with me today. Two very special people that might be able to help hold off the pain of the wait. Please welcome Pancho and Migs!"

A minute went by as the viewers watched with bated breath for someone to step out from backstage. Forget about hearing pins dropping--you could hear a dust speck float by in the absolute silence.* The curtain that separated the hidden room from the watching eyes of the audience rustled once. Twice. Then a head, with wide eyes, a slightly open mouth, and incredibly pale skin, finally peeked out.

The applause for Sydney was tremendous, sure, but nothing in the world could compare to the deafening screams of the fangirls that fought for the mere glimpse of the couple.

"Pancho, move!" a voice muttered behind a frozen boy before pushing him forward. While Miguel had beamed at the audience, Pancho simply stared and trailed along behind him, his lips fighting to plaster even the smallest smile on his face. Even Miguel's appearance, with his short, cropped hair and dark skin, along with his calm demeanor, clashed with the incredibly nervous Pancho's poofy hair and strangely white skin. How could these two opposites be matched so well together?

They sat down on the loveseat, choosing to sit on opposite ends. Despite their focus on the show, a sort of tension hung between them, thick enough to cut with a knife. Sydney had edged a few inches away as soon as she felt it.

"O-kay, guys," she started. "Thank you so much for being with us today. I'm surprised you guys allowed me to take you out of the story for a bit."

"It's fine," Pancho said, looking sideways at Miguel. "I needed the break."

Miguel tested comfortably on his side of the seat and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay lang ako. There wasn't much progress anyway."

Pancho and Sydney winced, although for two entirely different reasons. What did he mean by that?

"We're at chapter four, Migs," Pancho said. "It's too early to say that."

"Sige." Miguel shrugged again.  "Whatever you say."

A bead of sweat broke out on Sydney's forehead. Maybe she should have gotten them when the situation eased up. "Um, now Riverside Academy is currently traveling Europe on some extremely long, super-expensive field trip. So far, is it worth it?"

"I don't know," said Pancho. At the same time, Migs said, "No."

"Why?"

"Personal issues," they answered in unison.

"Mmhm." Sydney plucked a few note cards from her pocket and read, "If you don't want to talk about it, then who do you see yourself as on this trip? In other words, can you please give the audience a little background information about yourselves?"

"Someone who made a huge mistake that can't be taken back," Migs said.

Pancho's eyes widened. "You regret that ki--" He bit his lip, stopping himself. "That kill you made in Undead Mansion? The girl had to die, or she would have infected us all. That arcade game already ate my entire allowance."

"Natalo tayo." Miguel looked away. "Game over."

"I see," Sydney cut in. What in the world are they talking about? "Continuing on... Pancho!" She pointed at him and smiled. "Say something about yourself."

"I-I work out a lot." He made an exaggerated effort to show his muscles, which earned a few laughs. "Migs used to train me at his place."

"Did Migs also sneak in a few kisses there, or was the incident at the hotel really your first time?"

Never had Pancho looked so scandalized. To say that the question took him by surprise was an understatement. "How did you--"

"Are you planning to return his feelings?"

"Huh?"

"You guys are arguably the main couple and focus of the story. How do you feel about that?"

"The main what?"

"Could you possibly have feelings for someone else? A certain male Alice perhaps? Would you be jealous if Migs might develop feelings for him?"

"Who? What are you--"

"Would you rather wear a wedding dress or a tux?"

"For what?"

"Do you think Hyme really is straight? A homophobe, even?"

"Probably?"

"Do you think Josh would look good in a dress?"

"I don't know who that is!"

"Do you believe in Dragicorns?"

"Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Stop answering a question with a question!" Sydney remarked, outraged. "Wait, no." She shook her head, dropping the interview questions liberally on the floor. "Stop. Forget that. Too soon, too soon. Who the hell wrote these questions?" A nearby stagehand caught her attention, throwing around a bunch of rushed hand signals. "Oh, it's time. Sorry, guys. We weren't able to answer much today but I am happy to have you both on the show. Head on back to the story! Good luck!"

"Thanks?" a bewildered Pancho said, while letting himself be pulled by Miguel backstage.

Sydney turned her attention to the audience. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Migancho!"

A/N: I used this post to practice and help get the feel of the characters again. I also tried to reach out of my style, which was, for the most part, a failure. It's not my best work, it doesn't contribute much to the story, and it's random, but I am glad you guys read it! I'm excited to be working on the original series again after that long break. You might see Sundays with Sydney once more in the near future!

I went back and edited all of my published stories here on 21st Century Bluestockings so you might want to check it out. Better, worse, or meh? Feedback is much appreciated.

*Unintentional Suessical reference.