Sophia
"Sophia!?"
A-a-a-and.. I saw this coming.
Wait. No. I knew LUCAS would be stumped.
I didn't expect Bryce, his twin, to be here, too.
The De Los Reyes brothers shared the same slack-jawed stare.
Behind me, Stacy was laughing so hard, clutching her stomach.
It was her idea not to tell anyone from school yet, emphatically, them.
Lifting my right hand, I waved awkwardly at the two tall teenagers..
..who were holding up the line. Some of the people were getting antsy.
"Hey, guys," I greeted them with a small smile. I was weary but I hid it.
Lucas kept staring at me, his mouth open, as he walked slowly to my table.
He wore a dark green unbuttoned polo thrown over a white shirt and jeans.
A lot of people in line were sporting something in green: shirt, dress, pants, shoes.
I guess it was because of my namesake? S. Green, because it was my favorite color.
"YOU? Y-you're.. You're S. Green, my favorite author?" Lucas asked in disbelief.
"To my knowledge.. yes?" I answered with uncertainty, rubbing the side of my neck.
"Hey! What's the hold up over there? Hurry up!" hollered a guy from the line.
Lucas craned his neck to flash the line-waiters an apologetic smile. Then he brought his brown eyes back on mine, and, with the clothed table sandwiching us both, he proffered his two books to me.
I quickly flipped them open to the first page and scribbled my autograph with a smiley face. I always put smiley faces on my signatures.
Before clapping the novels closed, I wrote: To Lucas, Thank You for Reading my books!
And in the second book, I cleverly scribbled in small letters: Thanks for the midnight talks
As I handed him back his copies, Lucas stared at me with dilated brown eyes and whispered: "You never told me you were a published author."
I whispered back: "You never asked. And it felt like bragging, so why bother?"
Seeing the impatient frowns on the people in the line, Lucas scurried away, outside the red ropes.
With a mirthful smile, I greeted Bryce: "I didn't know you read my books, Bryce."
The tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed 18-year-old wore a pale gray shirt and shamrock-green pants.
His face was stoic but I could see the gleam of surprise in his dark blue eyes. "Just one of them."
I took the inky-blue-coated novel from his hand and I flipped it open to the first page. He must be fascinated by British murder mystery-thrillers since he favored "Scarlet Thread" of the two.
While I signed my name on the yellowish-white page, I heard someone yell: "I love you, S. Green!"
I raised my chin and caught sight of a young brunette in a green tank top and skinny jeans. She must be around fourteen or fifteen years old, and she was waving her arm to get my attention.
"I love you, too!" I called out to her, and she squealed.
"You sure are reckless, saying that to a complete stranger," Bryce remarked as I shut his book.
I folded my arms on the table and leveled his distasteful gaze with a serious expression.
"Love for a stranger is harmless," I told him in even tones. "There are no strings attached in telling her that phrase."
Right before he walked away,Bryce shot me a cryptic look, saying: "Speaking from experience?"
His parting remark rendered me speechless, and I zonked out for a minute, but I recovered from my stupor when the next person,a blonde woman in her early twenties,approached my table.
The fair-haired girl presented me with an appreciative smile and a bouquet of pink roses.
As she handed me the flowers,she told me:"I was hoping you were a girl, otherwise this would have been really, really peculiar. This is a token for writing such amazing stories, Ms. Green."
"Sophia," I supplied while accepting the pink roses. "You can call me Sophia."
Her lovely smile stretched bigger. "Sophia, my name is Mina."
After signing her copies, the next person in line was a young man who looked my age.
His black hair was shaggy but appealing, and he sported a pickle-colored striped shirt and black slacks. His features struck me as foreign, and when I heard his accent,I was proven correct.
He timidly greeted me: "Hey."
"Hello," I acknowledged him while reaching for his two copies.
"Make it out to Xavier Smith."
I poised my pen over the first page, but before signing it, I peered up at the teenager.
"I like your name," I complimented him. "Are you American?"
He broke into a faint smile. "British. But I live in Chicago."
I autographed his first book, set it aside, then I began to sign his second book.
As I finished my signature, Xavier suddenly blurted out: "I flew all the way from home so I could meet you in person, Miss Green."
I gaped at him. "Are you serious?"
He nodded and rubbed his nape, struggling to make eye-contact with me. "I know this is too straightforward, but may I be so bold as to ask for your number?"
As politely as possible, I asked him: "Are you flirting with me?"
He nodded his head once more, a pink blush staining his cheeks. "I am."
My shoulders sagged, and I did my best to measure my next words as I met his jade eyes.
"Xavier, I'm very flattered. Really, I am. But I'm not in that kind of place yet. I'm sorry."
The young Brit sent me a sad smile and showed me a long-stemmed rose he'd been hiding from behind his back.
"This is for you," he told me, and as I accepted the rose, he added: "Thanks for your honesty."
Several hours passed, and when the clock ticked 8:40pm, every store inside the mall began to retire for the day, and I inwardly winced at the ear-piercing noise of shop shutters being dragged down. I sank in my plush white chair, wanting nothing more than to go home and collapse on my bed. My fingers felt stiff and cramped from signing all those books, and my smiling muscles were strained from grinning at the camera with my fans.
My agent, Liz, bustled towards me and patted my shoulder. "You did great, Sop."
"Thanks, Liz," I told the 25-year old without looking up at her. My body felt so drained.
Elizabeth scuttled away to speak with someone, and I fought to stay awake, but my lids felt so heavy.
"Hey, Sop. You look terrible."
I blearily slid my brown eyes to my sister's sky blue orbs. She was with Miles and Dylan.
"I feel terrible," I said with a yawn, my hand flying to my open mouth.
Stacy nodded once and told me: "I'll give you a few minutes to rest before we go home."
"Mm-hmm," I hummed, feeling the heaviness of sleep weigh down on my eyelids.
I didn't know how long I had my eyes closed,but my system was still half-awake enough to hear the sound of somebody's footsteps walking towards my direction.
"Tough day, Miss Green?"
His voice was too familiar, I forced myself to open my brown eyes and tried to sit up straighter.
"Lucas. Hey," I said groggily while I pushed my oval, rimless glasses up the bridge of my nose.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing his hand to the right armrest of my white velvet chair.
I smiled in response, and he sat down on the arm of my chair, his feet dangling above the floor.
"How do you feel now?" the black-haired teenager asked me.
"Exhausted. But happy," I answered, smiling down at my lap.
"So no more energy left for one last picture with a fan?"
I swiveled in my seat to meet his hopeful gaze. "A picture?"
A nervous smile graced his lips as he held up an index finger. "Just one. Please?"
Despite my wearisome state, I felt a playful smile tugging at my mouth. "I thought you already had a picture of me?" I asked him.
"You can prolong this torture, Ya, or I can just snap a candid photo of you."
I sighed happily and faced him. "Okay. Get your phone."
We both smiled at the front-cam of his white phone,and he took the picture.
Lucas and I chatted for a few minutes, and I cherished the moment like I did the others.
"Hey. I.. I want to ask you something."
I focused on Lucas, encouraging him to continue, and he did: "You're close with Stacy, right?"
A small lump formed in my throat. I replied to him tentatively: "Yes.."
He fixed me with a serious look. "I don't believe in the rumors, Ya. I think Stacy's a nice girl."
"She is," I agreed passionately, nodding my head.
Lucas flashed me an inquisitive smile. "And I was wondering.. if.."
"If?" I prompted him, even though my heart was pounding hard with trepidation.
He blurted out: "If you could maybe help me to court your sister."
A cold sensation ran all over my body as if I accidentally fell into an ice-cold lake.I didn't speak because I didn't know what to say. I wouldn't speak because all the words had piled up in my chest, and I knew they would only come out as tears.
I tried to smile, even as Lucas proceeded to speak about my twin sister.
"It's just that, sometimes I run into her at university, and she's so intriguing, talented, and charismatic. There are people who don't see her for who she really is, but I want to try to get to know her better. I really like Stacy, and if there's one person who can help me with her, it's you."
His words sounded so wrong in my ears---it was like someone was pressing different notes and keys on an instrument and making awful sounds. Was this the reason he befriended me in the first place? I didn't want to think it and believe it, but in the past, a lot of guys would pretend to be my friend so they could get closer to my sister. They all had ulterior motives. And I hated it. Not only did I feel used, I also felt as though the main reason why that many guys would approach me was for my sister.
But they weren't Lucas. At least, I hoped that were the case. I didn't know what to think anymore.
Plastering a big smile on my face, I smiled at Lucas as if this conversation wasn't breaking me in half.
"It's fine!" You brought this on yourself, Sophia.
"Really?" Lucas beamed at me. "That's great! I can't tell you how grateful I am for this."
I should not have hoped. I shouldn't have assumed anything.
"Do you think Stacy will give me a chance? Would she like me?"
While he rambled on about his plans, I discreetly looked over to my blonde sister from a short distance. She was cheerfully bantering with her friends, Miles and Dylan, who were laughing.
I stared at my sister's glowing face. Her rainbow-shaped eyes as she giggled, and the way her shoulders were shaking with humor. She deserves to be happy. Turning to Lucas, I flashed him a faint smile.
"Only time will tell," I told him.
Even if it's with the guy I like.