Tragedy ✔️

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three: Awkward Dinner
River Jenkins

“Be nice.” My aunt warns right when the doorbell rang, indicating that Sophia and her grandmother was here.

I adjust the collar of my shirt and inhale deeply when I open the front door, not wanting Sophia’s grandmother to stand in the cold longer than necessary. It seems like Sophia liked the cold seeing that she jogged in it just the other day.

I was welcomed by a brown-green pair of eyes only known as Sophia’s.

She lowers her gaze toward the ground before she looked at me again, but her gaze kept darting from the ground and to my eyes again repeatedly, as if she was trying to avoid my gaze and as if she can’t look me in the eyes anymore.

“Hello, River.” She greets, her voice was barely above a whisper. She forces a tight smile and clears her throat awkwardly. She then tucks a strand of her snow-covered hair behind her pierced ear.

“Sophia.” I force her name out and step out of the way so she could enter.

When she steps past me, her perfume wafts through the air, filling my nostrils with this sweet but strong scent of roses mixed with a pinch of lemons, or lime.

I also notice that she had a dress on for today’s occasion. Her grandmother probably forced her to wear something nice just like my aunt forced me to wear something else other than my usual black leather jacket and black pair of jeans.

I was wearing a semi-formal outfit—beige coloured lapel buttoned up shirt with a pair of trousers to match. I personally didn’t like the outfit seeing that we were just going to have a birthday dinner with people who were considered friends in my aunt’s eyes, but I couldn’t really complain. The outfit was very comfortable.

“River,” Sophia’s grandmother smiles widely at me, as if I was her grandson, “it is so nice to see you again. I hope you have been well.”  She pulls me in for a hug faster than I could decline—because of the broken rib. I groan softly, and bite my lip when the sharp pain shot through my side, by the broken rib.

Luckily she doesn’t engulf me in a death-grip and pulls away from me before she notices that my face was pulled, trying to cover the fact that I was in pain.

“It’s nice to see you too, and happy birthday, Miss Crawford.” I force a smile.

She nudges me with her hand, shaking her head at me. “Just because I am a year older today doesn’t mean that I am old now. I’m still in my good early sixties, so you can call me Jenna, not Miss Crawford.”

I step out of the doorway and let her pass through.

My smile disappears as I close the door behind me and sigh, loudly.

I slowly make my way to the living room where everyone was already seated, already dreading this birthday dinner and it hasn’t even officially started yet.