Hehehe....
Sophie and Edaline had spent the rest of the time that they had getting Sophie's prom stuff ready.
They bought tons of jewelry to match with the beautiful, off-shoulder red dress with golden accents. Edaline had also bought her make-up that Sophie knew she'd never use ever again.
Fitz was going to wear a black tuxedo with a red tie—so they would match.
"I'm so excited!" Sophie exclaimed to Biana over face-time a few minutes before Sophie was going to start getting ready. "I wish you were going,"
Biana smiled. "Yeah...well, I'm going to let you start getting ready. See you later,"
Sophie smiled. "Yeah, bye!" Then Sophie ended the call and put on her prom dress.
She called Edaline upstairs to help her with the zipper in the back before she slid her shoes on. Sophie did her own make-up—and did her best to tone it down as much as she could—before Edaline did her hair.
She curled it in beachy waves before she did it in a half-up/half-down braid. Then she put a shiny, golden barrette in her hair.
"You look beautiful," Edaline said as Sophie looked at herself in her mirror. She handed her the boutonniere she was supposed to give Fitz.
"Thank you," Sophie said with a grin.
She and Edaline both headed downstairs and Grady's eyes teared up when he saw her. "You look awesome kiddo,"
Sophie hugged her dad. "Don't cry," She told him. "You're going to make me cry."
"Sorry," Grady sniffed. "You've just grown-up so fast,"
Sophie opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a knock on the door. Sophie suddenly got super excited as she told Grady and Edaline goodbye.
"Have a great time," Edaline told her as Sophie walked to the door.
"I will," Sophie said, right before she opened the door to see Fitz standing there with a red corsage in his hand.
"Hey," He said with a grin. "You look...beautiful,"
Sophie smiled as her face turned as red as her dress. "You don't look so bad yourself,"
Fitz laughed as he handed her the corsage, and she handed him the boutonniere. Sophie put it on her wrist, and Fitz put his on the left buttonhole of his tux.
"Are you ready?" He asked, holding out his arm for her.
Sophie grinned as wide as she could. "Yes, I am,"
§§§
"Surprise!" Biana said as Sophie and Fitz walked into the school's giant amphitheater.
Sure Sophie was shocked to see her friend at Prom, but what was even more shocking was who she was with.
Standing, with his arm hooked with hers, was Tam Song.
"Why didn't you tell me you two were going together?" Sophie asked, her heart exploding with joy.
Her life was almost complete—now she just had to get Linh and Wylie to start dating.
Biana's face flushed red. "I wanted it to be a surprise," She said. "He asked me out and asked me to Prom when we planted all those pranks around Foxfire."
Sophie's heart melted when she heard those words. "That's so sweet."
"Well, I'm glad Fitz finally asked you to prom," She said with a laugh. "It took him forever."
"It took Tam forever," Sophie mumbled to herself with a smile, remembering what Dex had told her during their time at Six flags.
"What'd you say?" Fitz asked, looking down at her.
"Nothing," Sophie said with a smile. "Why don't we get some drinks?"
They all agreed before they each got a Sprite at the drink table. During this time, Sophie took in the beautiful scene in front of her.
On the stage was a fifteen foot tall model of the Eiffel Tower with silver balloons and bright lanterns around it. Couples and friends were taking pictures near it, and Sophie knew she wanted to take pictures there. On the ground floor were food and drink tables, tables for people to sit at, and then a giant space left for dancing and the DJ.
Then, as Sophie took a drink of her Sprite, a pang of sadness echoed through her.
"It's so sad that Keefe had to miss his Senior Prom," Sophie said biting her lip. Keefe should've been there with them.
"Why on earth would I miss it?" A familiar voice asked.
Their group of four turned around to see Keefe in a black tux, but what made Sophie almost pass out was when she realized that he wasn't alone.
With her blue dress matching his blue bow-tie was Linh Song.
"Wait, you went with him?" Tam asked, looking extremely shocked.
Linh nodded. "He asked me yesterday—and I couldn't let him go to his Senior Prom without a date."
The word date hit Sophie super hard. The two of them weren't holding hands—and they were a few inches away from each other—so they could only be going as friends.
But that thought really didn't make Sophie feel any better.
"I thought you were going with Jensi," Tam said, staring at his sister through beady eyes.
"Jensi's not a Senior," Linh said, putting her hands on her hips. "And it's not a big deal—we're just going as friends,"
Tam shifted his gaze to Keefe. "If you hurt her..."
"Relax bangs boy," Keefe said. "I promise to make sure your sister has a great time."
Sophie gulped, trying to find her voice, before she grabbed Fitz's hand. "Why don't we dance?" Then she dragged him onto the dance floor before he could object.
The song that was playing was "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran. It was a really sweet song, and as they danced Fitz was talking to her, but Sophie's mind was elsewhere.
Why was she so upset that Keefe had asked Linh to go to Prom? They were only going as friends, after all. Was she jealous?
No—she couldn't be. She had her boyfriend as the perfect Prom date. She should be having a wonderful time and not think about anything but having fun.
So Sophie tried to stop herself from thinking confusing thoughts, but for some reason her brain kept flashing to a mischievous smirk and ice blue eyes.
Keefe had always been her friend. From day one she'd always thought he was handsome and hilarious. They'd became friends really quickly and they were always there for each other.
They were friends.
The word made Sophie lose her balance and fall onto the floor.
A few people stopped out of shock, but Fitz quickly helped Sophie off the ground—but she didn't feel like dancing anymore.
"Um," She said, her palms suddenly getting sweaty. "I-I need to go to the bathroom," She told Fitz as she took a step away from him.
"Alright," He said, looking worried and understanding—but he also looked extremely weary. "I'll be here if you need me."
Sophie nodded and took a steadying breath before heading toward the bathroom.
Thankfully, and surprisingly, no one was in there and Sophie locked herself in one of the stalls. She paced the small space for a long time before she slid onto the floor and buried her face in her hands.
"What's wrong with me?" She asked herself with a sniff.
She and Keefe were friends.
At the thought, Sophie's chest started to feel heavy. She felt sick to her stomach and her head started to pound.
"No, no, no," She whispered to herself, shaking her head. "Keefe and I are just friends,"
Saying it out loud made the situation worse. Tears fell down her cheeks and she sobbed quietly.
"Why do I feel this way?" She asked, leaning her head against the wall.
She sat in that stall for a long time, trying to put the pieces together. She'd been wanting to spend more time with Keefe in certain moments, and she always seemed to get inwardly jealous when Keefe didn't hang out with her.
They spent so much time together, but Sophie always wanted to see him. She almost never stopped thinking about him—even when she was with Fitz—and they were always there for each other.
But why was she feeling this way now? Maybe because Keefe had brought another girl to Prom—and even though Sophie already had a date, part of her wanted to be with Keefe.
"But why...?"
Suddenly, a memory flashed into her mind. It was last year when she'd gotten hit in with a chicken at Valin's birthday. Later that week, when she and Keefe had their window sleepover, Sophie had realized something: she'd thought she was in love with Keefe Sencen.
Suddenly, it hit her.
"I'm in love with Keefe Sencen," She whispered to herself, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Suddenly, all the sickness she'd been feeling faded away, and the bathroom echoed with the sound of her giggles.
"I, Sophie Elizabeth Foster, am in love with Keefe Sencen," Sophie grinned like a maniac as she stood from the floor.
Her legs were a little wobbly, but it didn't matter—she was in love with Keefe!
Sophie opened the stall door and ran out of the bathroom. She went down a couple halls before she was back in the amphitheater.
And suddenly, she wasn't so giddy.
Reality came crashing down on her as she entered the room. People were partying and having fun, but Sophie was filled with dread.
She was in love with Keefe Sencen, but she was dating Fitz Vacker. She'd have to tell Fitz that she wanted to break up with him—and that wasn't going to be easy.
"You have to do it," She whispered to herself as she weaved through the crowds of people. "You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't,"
Suddenly, a hand fell on Sophie's shoulder, when she turned around she saw Fitz behind her.
"Oh, hey Fitz," She said, feeling super nervous. "I was just looking for you."
"I was looking for you too," He said with a smile. "I wanted to tell you something."
Sophie bit her lip. "Oh—I needed to tell you something too."
Fitz blinked. "Can I go first? It's super important,"
"Sure," she said, even though she needed to go first.
"Great," Fitz said. "Why don't we head outside?"
Sophie nodded, but she was not ready for this conversation.
She was actually going to break up with Fitz Vacker.