Fallin' For You

FIVE

"So...I can go?" Sophie asked the next day after school.

Edaline bit her lip. "I would love to say yes, but I don't know the Vacker's."

"I do!" Grady called, striding into the room. "Alden and I were best friends when we were growing up in New York—then he moved to California and we lost contact."

"That's sad," Edaline said. "Sophie said she was invited to his son's birthday party, and she wants to go. Is that alright?"

Grady smiled. "Of course it's alright—I'd trust Alden with my life."

"But you said you guys lost contact," Sophie pointed out. "How do you know Alden's not a raving lunatic?"

She wasn't exactly strengthening her argument, but she had to say something.

Grady thought for a minute. "Well, I can drive you over there, meet up with Alden, make sure he's not a crazy lunatic, and then drop you off. How does that sound?"

"Great," Sophie said, giving Grady a hug. "Thank you,"

Sophie ran back up to her room and grabbed her phone. "You can do this," Sophie whispered to herself. "You can call Fitz Vacker,"

Sophie put in the number on the card and waited.

Then when she heard a British accent ask, "Hello?" she almost fainted.

"Uh...hi Fitz—this is Sophie, by the way,"

"Oh! Hey, Sophie—so can you come to my party?"

"Uh, yeah—I just asked my parents. My dad's going to drive me over there in a few minutes." Sophie let out a deep breath. She was actually having a conversation with Fitz!

"That's great!" Fitz said. "I'll see you there; bye!"

As soon as the call was over Sophie ran to her closet in order to find something to wear. She didn't want to under-dress, but she didn't want to overdo it either. So she decided to go with casual.

She put on black tank-top, leggings, and her black converses. Then she put a burgundy cardigan over the tank-top. Sophie ran to her bathroom and brushed out her hair. The party started at 4:30, she had time to curl her hair.

After that was done, Sophie put a tiny bit of lip-gloss on her lips before grabbing the green and blue wrapped present for Fitz that she'd bought right after school.

"Grady!" Sophie called as she ran down the stairs. "I'm ready!"

"Alright kiddo," Grady grabbed his keys and Sophie followed him out the door to his black car. "Let's hit the road,"

Sophie smiled as she climbed into the seat and sat down. She put the present on her thighs and looked at the scenery as they drove to the Vacker's house.

As they turned down a driveway lined with trees, Sophie gasped at the mansion only 50 feet in front of her. The gorgeous estate had tall gates that covered the whole property. But the house...the house was so hard to describe. It was a lot like Cinderella's castle, but shinier.

Grady drove the car up to the gates—which opened when the car came up, and he drove to the front of the mansion. "I will say this," Grady said as he parked the car. "Alden did do pretty well for himself."

Grady and Sophie got out of the car and walked up the steps to the door. Grady smiled at Sophie before ringing the doorbell.

An echo of chimes rang for about a minute before the door opened and a woman was there. "Hello," She said, a smile curving on her heart-shaped lips. This woman wore a lavender dress that went nice with her bright cobalt blue eyes and curly chocolate hair.