Saltwater Taphie

Melancholy Melon

"That sounds fun." Sophie smiled, glad she wouldn't have to deal with awkward silence. 

"I'll go first!" Biana volunteered. "Okay. My name's Biana Vacker, I'm Fitz's awesome younger sibling, obviously. I'm in most of your classes and save you from fashion disasters. Let's see...my favorite memory of you is probably when you figured out on your own that you look like a two year old when you wear primary colors all together. You came up to me really excited and told me. That was when I knew I made it in life." 

"Wow. I guess you'll have to teach me all over again." Sophie remarked awkwardly.

"Yesss! Now I know all of your excuses, so it'll take so much less time." 

That sentiment sent off warning bells, right as Biana smiled a devilish grin. 

"Ookay! Clearly Foster wants to hear from me next, since I'm basically her favorite human alive." Keefe bragged. 

"Is that true?" Sophie spoke aloud, really to no one, but Marella heard her. 

"Well, you are kind of in love with him." she explained. 

"I don't think so," Fitz argued. "She likes me better than she likes Keefe. Don't you remember in February when she..." 

Sophie tuned out, partially because she was embarrassed, but also because she was too confused to process more. 

"Hold on." 

Everyone turned their attention to Sophie.

"I know this might be awkward, but I have to ask: Am I in some kind of love triangle?" 

The room lapsed into silence, except for Tam, who started to chuckle. "Are you?! It's not like three of the boys here are in love with you." He said sarcastically (maybe?). 

"What do you mean?" Sophie pushed, hopeful for knowledge of the life she used to have. 

Dex, Keefe, and Fitz shot daggers in Tam's direction, but he didn't even acknowledge them. Sophie was beginning to get a feel for the group dynamic, and it seemed like Tam was the Guy Who Said What He Wanted. 

"Well, for starters, Dex is your distant relative-" 

"By marriage!" 

"Shut up Dex." Marella said offhandedly. 

"RELATIVE who was in love with you in junior high." Tam continued. " And Keefe has liked you since he met you. Fitz over there has liked you ever since he found out that Keefe liked you-" 

"That's not true." Fitz muttered, annoyed. "It was a mutual thing that just happened to overlap with Keefe."

"And there we have it." Biana finished for Tam. 

"Before your accident, you told them that you would make a decision by August, three weeks before school. But now it's August ninth!" Linh explained. "So now you get to make a decision, Keefe, Fitz, or Dex!" 

Sophie had never felt so similar to Atlas, the Greek god who'd held the sky up on his shoulders. The pressure to figure out who the former her would (and will) pick was monumental.  

"She was going to pick Fitz, obviously." Biana said. 

"No, she was going to pick me." Dex argued. 

"I agree with Dex." Linh added. "Sophie and Dex formed a strong bond in chemistry." 

"Clearly Fitz held her heart at one point, but he lost his chance. I think she would have picked me." Keefe explained.