SOKEEFE VS FITZPHIE, kotlc

kiss

"You said no to my brother," Biana said flatly, her expression unreadable.

"Um..yes?" Sophie sighed, standing her Imparter up against her feet so she didn't have to hold it up. "Are you mad at me for saying no?"

Biana hesitated. "I.. can't say yes, because it's your choice to date whoever you want to date. But I do have to ask. If you said no to Keefe, and you said no to Fitz, who are you going to say yes to? I guess I'm just... confused, that's all."

It wasn't like Sophie wasn't thinking the exact same thing.

"There's always another choice," she remembered Bronte telling her- yeah, he meant being a Counciller. And that was really not a career choice she had in mind, seeing how unfair they had been to her for years.

"Talk to you later?" Sophie offered.  "No hard feelings, right?"

"Nope!" Biana promised. "See ya!"

Sophie slid off her bed, and hurried into the range of her mirror. Vertina popped up in the corner in all of her make-up-y glory, and raised an eyebrow at Sophie like she knew exactly what was happening.

"You realize that you rambling to me is going to get you nowhere, right?" Vertina asked coldly.  "I say you suck it up, tell the boy you like that you like him, and then get on with your life. You're a teenager! You should be dating right now not figuring out who to date!"

"But I don't know who I like-" Sophie began miserably.

"Then you should figure that out," Vertina told her stonily.  And then her image vanished.

Sophie sat down at her desk, twirling a pencil through her hair. She couldn't keep doing this forever.  Couldn't keep wondering, and wishing, and asking then rejecting and doing it all over again...

How did her friends have such perfect love lives?

It went, "Oh! I like you actually!" and then the other person said "Oh, really? I like you too!" And then they lived happily ever after. No drama, or fighting, or jealousy, or stupid bets for that matter...

And- and now it wasn't even a matter if "Does the other person like me?" Because Keefe liked her. And Fitz had just asked her out...

About Fitz.

She was his ex-girlfriend! (For a pretty stupid reason.) Why was he going around, asking her, just because she had rejected Keefe?

And... then all the words just started blurring in her head.

Drama had seemed pointless when they were fighting for their lives, but now the Neverseen was over and it was just her and her petty little life.

And that didn't seem fair when so many had died as they had tried to fend off the Neverseen...

_________

"Where's Keefe?" Sophie asked breathlessly, trying to zip up her backpack from behind her.

"I don't know." Marella shrugged, elbowing her locker shut as she grinned at Sophie. "Why? Made up your mind? You know how many people have been waiting on you."

"How many...?" Sophie trailed off. "Never mind. Have you seen him today?"

"Tell me why," Marella insisted. "Then I'll tell you."

Sophie blinked at her and sighed. "You are so stubborn. Fine. I...wanted to make it up to him. Because of... stuff."

"Stuff," Marella repeated hollowly. "Okaaaay... fine. Keep up the mysteriously vague act.  I saw him during Metaphysics last period... he got detention for doing something really stupid. I didn't see, I was too busy staring at..." Marella broke off, flushed, and then carried on: "Too busy taking notes.  But it must've been bad or something because our Mentor sent him straight to detention, no questions asked. He didn't even put up a fight."

"Okay," Sophie said, thanked her quickly, and then gathered up her Elvin History textbooks and shot down the hall towards the detention center.

Unsurprisingly, the mentor in charge was making them iron the spare Foxfire capes that Elwin kept in the Healing Center. Sophie caught Keefe's eye and for a split second, part of his smirk was back. But just as quickly, he whipped his head downwards.

"Ms. Foster?" the Mentor said studiously. "Is there any reason why you've visited the detention center without detention?"

"I.. er.." Sophie caught Keefe catch her eye, and then he quickly pressed his finger against the hot iron.

"Mr. Mentor dude!" Keefe called, and the mentor looked very disturbed at being called "Mr. Mentor dude."

"Yes?"

"I- burnt myself!" Keefe said quickly.  "Can I...?"

He sighed. "Fine. Take Ms. Foster with you- but be back before lunch or-"

Sophie didn't get to hear the rest of his threat because Keefe had already climbed out of his chair, and slammed the door shut, leaving them alone in the quiet, deserted hallway.

Sophie began walking and Keefe followed her through the empty corridors. 

Keefe opened his mouth to speak, but Sophie gestured for him to be quiet.

And then she kissed him.