Summer with the Crew (#1.5 How I Fell in Love Trilogy)

Extreme Hide and Go Seek (continued from New Girl)

Hope everyone found this without too much difficulty! To those just happening on this, the story line in this book is being continued from my last book, "New Girl." Since it's summer, I'll probably still update every Sunday, but I might get random energy spikes (Or the opposite of that) and publish a little irregularly. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

"Okay, I'm counting down now!" Linh yelled, huddling with her face against a tree. "Ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven..." 

Tam grabbed Sophie's arm and ran towards the house. Keefe, Dex, Fitz, Biana, and Marella dashed off in various directions as the countdown started. 

Inside the house, Sophie and Tam climbed the stairs and took a few sharp turns and ducked through a doorway. Sophie closed it behind her, careful to be quiet. The musty room was pitch black, save for a few streams of weak light coming through the shuttered window. Sophie knew in a matter of minutes the sun would set, and all light would quickly fade. 

Thundering steps came towards the room, the door opening. A shadow of a petite form was all that could be seen. 

"Sophie?" Marella called a little too loudly. Tam groaned from where he huddled on an old bed post. 

"I'm here." Sophie answered, whispering. Marella shuffled across the room. 

"I hate hiding alone. It's the worst. I saw Linh coming into the house, and I just panicked. Like, all my thoughts just screamed 'help.'" 

"Wait, Linh's in the house, and you're screaming like it's no big deal?!!" Tam said, angst in his voice. Sophie squinted at where she approximated Tam to be, imagining the horror scrawled on his face. 

Sophie's ears picked up delicate footfalls. Linh was coming. 

Making a decision, she sprinted out of the room as Linh came to the door, surprising Linh. 

"Wait up Tam!" Sophie yelled, still running. She hoped to throw Linh off with this comment, and, judging from the way Linh sped after her, it was working. 

Sadly, Sophie's coordination wasn't working. Turning her eyes back to the path, she belatedly attempted to avoid a pile of cardboard boxes piled in the side of the hallway. Linh tagged Sophie lightly on the back. 

"Caught you!" 

Sophie grumbled, sounding eerily akin to Tam. 

"C'mon, let's find Fitz!" 

Sophie rolled her eyes, feeling like she should have seen this coming. Well, not the tripping part. 

Linh led the way to Fitz's room, making Sophie wonder how often she came to the Vackers'. She opened the door and sat down on his neat bed, sighing. 

"You can come out now." Linh said sweetly. I don't think she knows how to play this game, Sophie thought, watching her wait expectantly. A creaking closet door said otherwise, as Fitz crawled out, unabashed. He smiled his movie star smile at her. Linh grinned cheesily back, cheeks tinged a delicate pink. 

"We're so gonna find them. Three is the ultimate winner's number!" Linh gushed. 

"Three?" Fitz said, looking around the room. Obviously he only had eyes for her, Sophie thought. 

"Oh, hey Soph!" Fitz amended. Linh bounced off the bed, clasping her hands excitedly. 

"How about this? Fitz and I can finish searching upstairs, and you can start looking downstairs." Linh said to Sophie. 

"Okay," Sophie replied, keeping the hurt out of her voice. It was natural that they'd want to be alone. Sophie left the room and treaded softly down the wide stairs. She began with the kitchen, sweeping across the rooms in an orderly fashion.