Before:
Alvar laughing his booming laugh.
Iggy sneezing and rubbing his face with his tiny paws.
Fitz taking her hand, telling her they would go at her own pace.
Keefe showing her a drawing of a necklace of flowers.
Keefe wrenching his head to the side dramatically as Biana screeched at him, covered in slime.
Keefe telling her it was okay to be sad.
Keefe.
Keefe.
Keefe.
Sophie opened her eyes.
How could-
She had had no idea that-
"Having fun?" The door opened quickly, almost as though the person opening it had wanted to catch them at something.
Sophie and Keefe both jumped. Keefe tumbled off the bed, legs flailing into the air as he fell over the side and landed on the floor with a painful sounding thump.
Sophie winced. At least the flowered carpet broke his fall.
The person poked his head around the door, and Sophie prayed it wasn't Fitz with all her being.
Wow, she was a terrible girlfriend.
But, luckily, it wasn't Fitz.
Grady's eyes were narrowed as he took in Keefe, lying on the ground in an awkward position. He immediately scrambled up, into a sitting posture.
Grady shook his head. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything?" He spoke in a way that made it clear that he did in fact hope that he had interrupted something, and that something would be bad enough that Keefe would be eligible to be kicked out of the house.
"Nope!" Sophie blustered, praying that he was alone-
No, because why would her wishes be granted?
Grady grunted, unconvinced. But he let it go, even though the look in his eyes made Sophie sure that they'd be revisiting this later.
"Fitz is downstairs waiting for you," Grady told her.
And.... then came the nerves, and the worry, with a touch of guilt, too.
She had-
Keefe had-
They had almost-
"I should go," Keefe almost whispered, keeping his head down as though he wanted to hide his face.
Sophie hesitated, not wanting him to be there when she saw Fitz but not wanting to offend him. Grady saved her from having to formulate a response.
"Yes. You should," Grady's voice wasn't exactly cold, or unfeeling (he'd probably heard the news), but it had enough bite that Keefe nodded, standing up quickly to hold his crystal up to the light streaming into the bedroom.
"Wait, Keefe..." Sophie stood, staring at Keefe in the hopes that he'd look up and meet her gaze.
He didn't, holding his home crystal up to the strands of light spearing through the room. The reflection glanced off the facet, creating a path, but Keefe hesitated before stepping into it. He lifted his head, meeting Sophie's gaze.
His ice-blue stare pierced right through her, as surely as icicles through snow.
The shared stare lasted one second and one thousand years, stabbing clean through Sophie's heart, taking her breath away until she dropped her gaze.
Shame coated her vision, both at what had almost happened between them and her reaction to it. It was her turn not to lift her head, but she could feel Keefe's eyes burning a hole into her own.
Even after he had glittered away, his eyes remained, finally fading only after Grady took her hand and practically pushed her down the stairs.
...
Physically, Keefe and Fitz were not polar opposites.
Not that Sophie was comparing them, which she certainly was not.
Sophie sat next to Fitz on her couch, Grady and Edaline across from them on the loveseat. Fitz was politely exchanging small talk with Sophie's parents, asking them about any plans and whatnot. Sophie zoned them out, her mind not interested in the everyday chatter filling her ears. Edaline asked about Fitz's future plans, changing from the mundane subject to one that was more interesting to the dark-haired elf, and that was where Fitz flourished, speaking of his prospects and opportunities...
It was then that Sophie mused about how much Keefe and Fitz did not have in common.
Not that Sophie was comparing them, which she definitely wasn't.
The boys weren't the same by any means, as they differed in several significant ways, as least physically.
Keefe's hair was artfully messed and naturally straight, while Fitz's dark hair didn't exactly curl, but it definitely had some wave to it that was enhanced by hair products. Fitz's teal eyes grabbed attention and held it; Keefe's eyes were more piercing, sparkling with humor. Keefe was the taller of the two, his shoulders rather broader.
Fitz was more direct, although he used flowery words and phrases that tended to edge towards evasions, while Keefe used teases and snark to completely steer around the subject at hand. Keefe's walk was longer, more relaxed, while Fitz's strides were harder, with purpose. Fitz tanned easily, his skin darkening in the sun; Keefe's pale skin stayed its shade, occasionally freckling. Keefe's smile was infectious, lighting up a room with humor, while Fitz's was easy and flashy and just about perfect.
Not that she was comparing them, because really, she wasn't.
...
Sophie wondered if her parents or her boyfriend noticed the fake smile she'd kept pasted on her face for the last ten minutes, while Edaline and Grady asked (although it felt more like an interrogation) Fitz questions about his future.
She'd tried to focus, tried to genuinely smile, but the events of earlier that day, and even farther back, had been echoing around in her head, clanging through her skull.
"I- I was about to..."
"You're cute when you're pushy, though, so thank you for that."
"You know, you're allowed to feel sorry for yourself."
"My life doesn't revolve around... that."
"What are you guys doing, meeting here without me? Anyone would think you were up to something."
"I thought I was the only one who could be perfect, but here you are, showing me up."
"I just... wasn't expecting you to be here."
"You must be lost."
The last words resonated in her head.
The first words he'd ever said to her.
She'd seen him around before, of course. He was the friend of her friend, and they'd never really interacted, other than a "Could you pass the ___," during a Vacker dinner. They played base quest together a couple of times, but even then they never really spoke.
The first real words he'd ever spoken to her, only her.
In that hallway.
His favorite ditching spot.
The bench with the white walls.
His curious ice blue eyes, looking up at her from where he lay sprawled on the bench, avoiding work. Avoiding class.
Making his parents angry after a bad fight, although she hadn't known it at the time.
With those four fateful words. They meant so much now, even though at the time he'd just tossed them out there, maybe not even expecting her to respond. Maybe if he hadn't spoken, things would have been different. Very different.
"You must be lost."
But he had.
And she had answered.
And-
"Sophie?"
Sophie snapped back into herself, aware that her name had been spoken, perhaps several times. Grady was half risen out of his seat, Edaline's hand on his arm.
Sophie flushed red. "Sorry, what?"
"Your imparter's going off," Fitz pointed to the square that was buzzing in her pocket. "Are you going to answer?"
Sophie blushed harder, embarrassed that she hadn't even felt the imparter going off. But at the same time, she was glad for an excuse to leave the room.
"I'm gonna take this..." she gestured vaguely with her arms, scampering out of the awkwardness to answer the imparter. "Hi, Linh? What's up?"
Linh's sweet face was abnormally worried. "Have you heard from Keefe?"
Sophie stiffened. Shedidn'tknowshedidn'tknowshedidn't- "Why? What's wrong?"
Linh hesitated. "Tam and I were talking to our dad-" Here, her face darkened- "And Tam got a little... steamed, and dad got a little... annoyed, and he said something about Keefe's parents..."
Sophie almost sagged with relief. Of course, she didn't know, how would she know?
Then she remembered. Bigger problems.
"It's true..." she admitted to her friend. "But please don't tell anyone else! And tell Tam not to, too? Keefe doesn't want it getting out, yet, until he has to tell."
Linh nodded. "Okay. But... is he fine? How did you find out?"
"He told me."
Linh snorted. "Of course he told you."
Sophie frowned. How many clues had she missed? How many hints had people dropped?
Why was she so stupid?
"He told Biana too!" Sophie scowled. "It's not like- me-"
Linh rolled her eyes, an annoyed motion on her normally sweet face. "Ugh, seriously? Do you still not know?"
Lie. She had to lie. No one could know- "I know."
The words just... slipped out. She hadn't meant to speak to them, but she had, and they'd been said, and now all she could do was wait for Linh's reaction.
The dark-haired beauty stayed silent for a couple of seconds, pink lips parted with shock.
"You... you know about Keefe...."
"Liking me? Yeah." The words were so easy to say, as though they had no significance. As though they were just like any word, as though each letter did not carry a weight that held the curse of changing Sophie's life forever.
Linh blew out a breath. "We need to talk in person. Girl talk. Can you come over? Now?"
"Sorry, Fitz is over-" Sophie glanced back regretfully at her boyfriend, still talking to her parents.
"This is more important! Make some excuse, say there was an emergency and you have to come over, just come on!" Linh prodded.
Sophie sighed. "Fine. I'll be over soon. Your house?"
When Linh nodded, Sophie said goodbye and clicked away, heading back into the room.
"I'm really, really sorry, but I have to go to Choralmere," she apologized. "There's an emergency with Linh, and I have to help."
Edaline rose to her feet. "What happened?"
Sophie found herself at a loss. She really should have thought this through... "She wants to keep it a secret. It's kind of embarrassing," she hedged, hoping that they would let her go...
"Should I come too?" Fitz asked, ever the considerate boyfriend.
"No," Sophie told him, a little sharper than she meant to be. "I mean... no, this is a girl thing."
He nodded, even though his face showed disappointment. "Okay. I guess I'll be... going home now. Bye." He kissed Sophie on the cheek- with a glance towards the scowling Grady- before holding his crystal up to the light and glittering away.
"Is there anything we need to know?" Edaline asked hesitantly.
Sophie shook her head. "It's fine, I just have to go over."
Before either of her parents could protest- indeed, Grady was already moving towards her, mouth opening- she ran to the leapmaster and leaped away, leaving her parents behind.
...
"Sophie!" Linh called, letting the water she'd been swirling above her head splash to the ground. "Come over here!"
Sophie obeyed the command, letting Linh lead her to a small area outside the house. It was one of Sophie's favorite parts of the estate, with no wind chimes- They tended to get on her nerves- and small, clear, glistening pools of water reflecting light and mist off their surfaces. The effect was stunning, and Linh's water tricks added to the beauty.
The cushioned chairs were already occupied, however, and Sophie turned to glare at the grinning elf.
"Linh!"
"What?" Linh asked innocently. "I said it was girl talk time!"
Sophie shook her head, albeit halfheartedly, and sat herself down in one of the free chairs, nodding hellos to the girls already there.
Maruca, Biana, and Marella nodded back, identical smirks on all of their faces. Sophie rolled her eyes. The only way this wouldn't be awkward was for her to evade the questions. Subject changes were now her friend.
"Hi, Marella! Are you... feeling better?" Sophie asked vaguely, not sure how much the others knew.
Marella snorted. "They already know, Blondie, it's fine. Let's get to the juicy stuff!"
Sophie frowned. "Okay, Blondie. But I want to know how you're doing." Evade, evade, evade...
Marella twirled one of her braids around her finger. "Since you were too busy with boy stuff to visit me?"
She probably saw the guilt shadowing Sophie's eyes, adding, "It's fine, don't worry. But as payment for your missed days, let's hear the details. Keefe told you? Or did you finally get your oblivious head out of the clouds?"
Sophie blushed. "Kind of... both?"
"OOOH, what happened?" Maruca leaned forward, the idea of gossip that she didn't know too much for her to resist.
"I- I was about to..."
"I have a boyfriend. His name is Fitz, and I really like him."
Sophie shoved the reminders out of her head, trying not to focus on the memories.
"I... um..." Sophie hedged, stalling her butt off. "I guess... we... almost... kissed?" She said the last words in a whisper.
They were loud enough, though, and Biana shrieked.
"KISSED? YOU KISSED?"
"Shut UP!" Sophie hissed, uselessly checking the shadows for Tam. "We didn't even kiss! We just..."
"Almost did?" Linh finished. "Who pulled back?"
Sophie hesitated again, ignoring Biana's finger, which was poking her shoulder. "Me."
All the girls groaned in unison, prompting Sophie to scowl at them. "Well, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just kiss him, I'm dating Fitz!"
Biana smacked her forehead, muttering a curse under her breath followed by her brother's name.
"I guess it wouldn't be the perfect kiss everyone was expecting if you were still dating Fitz," Maruca sighed.
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Hold up, what? You lot were-"
"Waiting for you guys to get together, yes," Marella smirked. "It's pretty obvious that you like him."
"No, I like Fitz. My boyfriend?" Sophie reminded her dimwitted friends, who seemed to continually forget very important details about her messy love life.
"You can like two people at the same time. Or think you like someone, but actually like someone else. Or think that you don't like someone, but actually do like them, quite a bit." Linh explained. She glanced at Marella, a secret smile curving her lips before looking away again.
Sophie's brain decided to ignore that.
"Well, I like Fitz," Sophie decided.
A portion of the ground rippled, and Marella's eyebrows knit together with concentration. Linh placed a hand on her arm, and the ground settled.
Evidently ignoring what had just happened, Biana focused on the much less important issue (of course she did) and said, "Maybe you do, maybe you don't. But it's quite obvious you also like Keefe."
The other girls seemed to agree.
Sophie crossed her arms.
"You must be lost."
She scowled at the words in her head. Not fair for her brain to be on Keefe's side too. What a betrayal.
Wait...
Her brain was on Keefe's side too?
"Not fair! I have a stupid brain!" she shouted at the aforementioned brain, raising a few eyebrows among those at the circle.
"Not gonna argue with you there..." Maruca acquiesced, triggering a scowl in her direction. "But what caused this way of thinking? Isn't your brain like, 'Oh, my darling Fitzypoo is the bestest most amazing darling in the universe!' And then your heart or soul or whatever is going, 'But my Keefie baby is the most awesomest hottest sun in the solar system! My life, my love revolves around he!' And then you realize you actually like Keefe, everything is resolved, and you get married and have two children, one named Maruca and the other named Maruce?"
Sophie stared at her for a moment.
"I see why you and Keefe are friends," she muttered under her breath, making Marella and Biana snort.
"Oh, come on! You're honestly saying that you don't even like Keefe at all?"
"I like him as a friend..." Sophie ignored her brain. It could scream at her ALL IT WANTED, it was NOT getting a reaction.
Marella sighed. "If you don't change 'friend' to lover, I will destroy you and everyone you love. Such as... oh, I don't know... Keefe?"
"Lover?" Sophie had to ask, incredulous.
"Well, obviously not friend, and you're not gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend forever, but you also haven't married yet... so I went with lover."
Sophie simply stared at the girl, before shaking her head. Vigorously.
"Lovers aside... Just admit that you like him, and nobody will get hurt." Biana cracked her knuckles menacingly.
"Excuse me? No one will get hurt? What about me? Or, I don't know... Fitz? Keefe?" Sophie protested.
"Ah HA! So you DO like him!" Biana shouted triumphantly.
"Maybe! I don't know!" Sophie shushed her friend. "And why are all of you so... enthusiastic about this? Don't any of you want me to end up with Fitz?"
They all shrugged, even Biana, who always seemed to support Sophie's relationship with her brother.
"Don't get me wrong, you guys are very cute together... Honestly, I don't even care anymore. As long as you make an honest decision and get your head out of the clouds... I could be on Team Fitzphie or Team Sokeefe."
"Wait, I like Team Keephie better," Maruca argued.
"Um, Team Ruewen-Keefe is obviously the best," Linh raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, come on, Kophie, anyone?" Marella put in.
Everyone except Sophie (who was covering her flaming face with her hands) stared at the blond, simultaneously shaking their heads.
Marella shrugged. "Whatever."
"Can we... just drop this subject?" Sophie suggested. When the others started to protest, she added, "For now? Pleeeaaase?"
Biana pouted. "But-"
"Fine, we can change the subject," Marella smirked. "How's Dex doing, Biana?"
I actually really like this chapter-
Girl talk is so fun. It continues, and there's more in later chapters too
Just a heads-up-