INTERTWINED, kotlc

Nine

Sophie tried to wipe one of the wet, mucky splotches from her face, but all she managed to do was smear it even more. She peered around, eyes wide as she found most of the kitchen covered in her batter. It slightly burned her cheeks but cooled somewhat quickly from the cool air wafting around the room.

"At least it tastes pretty good," Keefe smiled like a child as he licked some of the batter.

"It isn't too bad," Sophie mumbled as she tried to look on the bright side. "We're lucky it stayed in the kitchen."

Keefe snorted. "If you think that's lucky, you must be having a pretty bad day."

"As if it can't get any worse," she muttered under her breath. "Let's just clean this up for a start."

Sophie managed to fish out some cloths and cleaning supplies, and they tended to the countertops, cabinets, and any visible surface. It sparkled a bit— But the floor and utensils lain out were still a mess.

"Who knew cleaning could be so hard?" Keefe panted as he fixed up his hair.

"It isn't," Sophie said. "Don't you ever clean your dorm?"

"Umm..." The red on his cheeks gave her all the information she needed.

She let out a sigh. "Let's wipe down everything else and mop down the floor. Hopefully, before Biana comes back, or she's going to freak."

Biana enjoyed a clean, chic, and beautifully decorated space. They had a few plants around their dorms, as well as books, paintings, and pottery. Clean space, clean mind. 

They wiped and mopped, the gushy noises unnerving as they cleaned up.

"Keefe— You don't have to help," Sophie said, feeling guilty. "It is all my mess."

"Nah. It doesn't matter— Hanging out is so much fun!" He gushed melodramatically.

After a bit more work, they finally finished. A sparkling clean dorm was much better than a batter-covered one.

"Finished!" Keefe and Sophie exclaimed in unison.

"Stop copying me!" They said, once again at the same time.

Sophie laughed along with Keefe. "I'm going to go change—You should wait outside, then we can go to your dorm so you can change. If you'd like me to walk with you there."

He gave her a salute and strode out into the hall.

Sophie dug through her closet and threw on some leggings and a simple, loose white t-shirt paired with a thick layered grey zip-up sweater. "Okay," She nodded as she caught up to Keefe in the hallway. "I'll tag along."

Keefe spoke about bunking with Fitz and all of that stuff as he cracked a joke every few minutes. The walk wasn't too long, but long enough to be fun. "And, we're here!" His smile faltered a bit, and his mood seemed to dampen a tad. "Don't— don't freak out or anything."

He unlocked the door and led her inside, and Sophie bit her lip as she viewed the room. Fitz's side was quite neat, most of his items in place. Other than a few misplaced items, it was clean.

Keefe's area was something else. His bed was unmade, and his clothing shrouded almost everything. There were plenty of books and notebooks filled with sketches. Loose sheets were strewn on his nightstand and floor. He had pictures messily taped up onto the wall. The rest of the room was a jungle.

"Keefe?" Fitz's voice rang out from another room.

Keefe put a finger to his lip, begging her to be silent. Sophie nodded. "Yeah! It's me! Why?!" He called back.

"No reason!" He mumbled loudly.

His shoulders sagged as he whispered: "Wait outside."

Sophie nodded confusedly, and she obediently went out and leaned up against one of the walls.

The door opened a few minutes later, and she opened her mouth but closed it right after when she realized it wasn't Keefe.

It was Fitz.

"Sophie?" His teal eyes were confused, leaving her cheeks as red as a tomato. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I— I was just taking a walk?" Sophie said, more of a question than a response. "I mean, I walked here with Keefe after a mess that happened in my dorm."

"Well," He scratched his head, seeming anxious. "I need to talk to you if you aren't busy later.

"Oh, I'm not busy," Sophie promised. "Where can I meet you?"

"At the local cafe?" Fitz offered, and Sophie agreed to meet him there at six o'clock, later today.

"See you," He smiled, and Sophie smiled as she blushed when he strode away.

She'd had a crush on Fitz forever. It was too bad she was a chicken to admit to it. But she didn't want to lead him on if he didn't like her that way.

"Okaaay. Did Fitzy come out here?" Keefe asked as he poked his head out.

"No," Sophie said in a daze. "I mean— Yes, he did! He just said hi! That's all!" Her cheeks reddened as he smirked at her.

"Okay, what shall we do?" Keefe now wore a grey sweatshirt along with a pair of sweatpants.

"Keefe, you can't walk around looking like that!"

She wasn't a fashion expert like Biana, but sweatpants and sweatshirts were for relaxing! Not for revealing yourself to the world!

"Psh, I look hot in whatever I wear, Foster," Keefe smirked as he struck a pose.

"Ugh," Sophie groaned but couldn't deny it. He had girls chasing him everywhere. "So, the mess is all cleaned up, we're all changed, and it's a happy ending."

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, are you going to be busy?" He asked absentmindedly. "I know I've been seeing you a lot lately." He shrugged.

"I..." Sophie wasn't sure what to say. She had promised to meet Fitz at the cafe, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Sophie didn't want to let any of the boys down. "Um, how long will this take?"

"Don't you mean how fun will this be? Because my dear Foster, we are going on a picnic," Keefe sang.

"Okay," Sophie said, not seeming as excited as she should have been.

He frowned but tried to cover it up, so Sophie bit her lip. "Let's go on this picnic. I'm sure it'll be amazing!" She tried to be enthusiastic, and Keefe smirked right back at her.

She was juggling a picnic with Keefe and a trip to the cafe with Fitz. Was that good or bad?

Sophie knew that she couldn't be a people-pleaser but, she was. 

Or it was just the fact that she was just an indecisive person.