Duluth / A Keeper of the Lost Cities Fanfiction

Duluth / 10

A/N Can we just appreciate that I definitely did not remember writing the last chapter? 

"Soooo..." Nick told Sophie as soon as detention was over. 

"Sooooo.... what?" Sophie asked, already walking down the hallway to the exit. 

"When are you going to let me ask you on a date?" 

Sophie's blood froze, and all time and space stopped. A boy wanted to go out with her? What? Que? Quoi? But her heart sank when she realized that the first time she wanted to be asked on a date was by a certain boy. And that certain boy was definitely not standing in front of her. 

"Why do you want go out with me?" Sophie asked, almost demanding, while she spun to face him. 

Nick held his palms up in front of him, like he was surrendering. "Whoa, easy. But for your information, I think you're pretty and smart and incredibly cool. Come on, please?" She glanced at the doorway, as if she should bolt before this got too far.  Nick smiled slowly at her as if he could already read her mind before she said anything. 

"Ok," Sophie told him, crossing her arms, "And why should I go out with you?"

"Um, I'm pretty and smart and incredibly cool." Sophie took one look into those dark eyes and melted a bit. How could she refuse him? This was a chance for a do-over. A new life. Sophomore girls went on dates. Human girls went on dates. 

Sophie gulped and her mind immediately thought to what he would think about this.  But she shoved the thought of him back towards the locked door and chains in her mind and plastered on a fake grin. "Fine." 

Nick did a little fist pump that reminded Sophie so much of Keefe. "Ok, let's go then!"

"Wait, now?!"

"There's no time like the present, Barret. You only live once!" He seized Sophie's bag off her shoulders and threw it into a nearby classroom, leaving only Sophie's camera bag on her shoulders. He then grabbed her hand, and off they went, running down the hallway like maniacs. Sophie was soon laughing along with Nick, and they burst through the doors, continuing down the street.

"Where are we going?" Sophie asked between breaths. She had gotten a little out of shape in the weeks she had spent in Duluth, and she wished she would have at least exercised a little. 

"We're going to Canal Park!"

Sophie dug her heels into the ground, almost making her topple over. "No, we can't go there," She told him decisively. Fitz might be there. And... though she wanted to be a normal human girl, she didn't want Fitz to see her with Nick. That just hurt too much. 

Nick looked back at her, an eyebrow raised. "Have you been there since you moved here? It's been like a month, right?" 

"How did you- nevermind. But yes, I've been there." 

Nick smirked. "Then why don't you want to go?"

Sophie begged herself to come up with a reason that she could convince Nick with. But instead, she just stood there, with her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "That's what I thought!" Nick said and then they took off. 

They got to Canal Park in no time, both of them breathing heavily, Sophie a little more than Nick. He smiled at her while she braced both hands on her knees. "What, you don't run to all of your dates?" 

Sophie smiled back at him as her breathing finally turned somewhat even. "Can't say that I have. This is my first date."

"What? You're a dating virgin?" Sophie winced a little at his choice of words and nodded.

"Let me guess, you've been on about a hundred dates. And you were running out of girls to date until I came along, so you sprung at the chance." 

Nick took Sophie's hand again and led in the direction of an ice cream stand.  "No, I actually  haven't had very many girlfriends. I know, surprising," he said when he saw Sophie's shocked face. "What kind of ice cream do you want?"

Sophie scrunched her face. "Mhmm, surprise me." 

"Will do, my lady. Will do." Sophie watched him as he joined the line and she scanned her surroundings. There was no sign of Fitz anywhere. Good. Sophie took out her camera and started snapping pictures of people and birds, and when she turned around again, Nick was standing there with a Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream cone extended to her. 

"How much was it?" Sophie asked digging through her camera bag for her money. 

Nick shook his head. "The date was my idea. I'm paying." Sophie smiled and accepted the ice cream cone. 

Nick gestured to her camera. "You know what would be really fun? If we had a photoshoot."

Sophie laughed. "Really? You want to do that?" Her smile grew even bigger when Nick nodded enthusiastically. 

For the rest of the afternoon, until it got dark, Sophie and Nick had a photoshoot. They tried taking pictures of them doing silly poses, atheistic surroundings, and every other stupid thing they could. 

And when they finally left, Sophie didn't notice a certain brown-haired boy watching them sadly from a distance.