INTERTWINED, kotlc

Fourteen

Once they made it back, Sophie hid in her room for a few hours. They had been gone for most of the day, meaning that she had missed Fitz's date. It all left her feeling numb. He hadn't even texted her back. And neither had Keefe.

Sophie lulled around from class to class, and when Thanksgiving dawned on them the next day, she knew she had to put on a brave face for her family. She didn't want to drag everyone's moods down, so she put on a vibrant red shirt with black leggings and comfy brown boots. Sophie braided her hair with the help of Biana, who changed her mind about dressing everyone up. "I think it's best," Is what Biana had said. Even she seemed a little down.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she looked at herself in the mirror. Sophie put a brave face on. She couldn't look back now. It was time to enjoy her time with her family. Time to be happy. 

Keefe is family, a selfish voice in the back of her head said.

Sophie shook her head, hoping she could shake the words out. Keefe had quite the nerve to decide to leave without saying anything. Then again, she had made mistakes before. But, it was hard to forgive and forget so easily.

"This is going to hurt when it's over," she whispered, putting her fingers up to the mirror as if someone else were there with her.

When Sophie walked into the Vacker's mansion for Thanksgiving, she'd expected to be sad, but the decorations lifted spirits. The colors of Autumn were vibrant and everyone chattering and hanging out made her feel whole and happy. 

"I heard what happened," Dex said quietly from beside her as she mindlessly wandered around. 

"Yeah," She mumbled, her mood deepening immensely. "Let's have some fun today. It's Thanksgiving," Sophie smiled as Dex gave her a dimpled grin. And that was why Dex was her best friend. He was always there for her, and he understood most of the things she had gone through in life. They had been best friends for years now, and she hoped that that'd never change. They had brought Iggy over for the celebration. Dex laughed and pointed him out when he noticed him doing a puppy dance in the corner of the room, and she couldn't help but laugh along with him.

They ended up wandering around the dessert tables— Which was no surprise since that was where most of Sophie's friends were. She didn't get to baking any cookies, but there was more than enough of everything. Sophie nervously tugged on an eyelash, feeling a pang of guilt when she remembered she had missed her date with Fitz. Luckily, she didn't spot him anywhere nearby.

"Fitz isn't here yet if that's what you're wondering," Biana assured her with a smug smirk.

Sophie's cheeks heated up, making her face red. "He's going to be so angry," She murmured blankly. 

"Don't worry about it, Sophie. Just because you think you have a crush on him doesn't mean you do," Biana shrugged and took a long sip of her lushberry juice. "Love is odd."

"Well, I won't be able to love anyone without my bracelet," Sophie muttered, not caring about the bracelet anymore. 

The teal-eyed Vacker let out a giggle. "Sophie, the bracelets don't create love. Love happens on its own. The bracelets are just the soul, the magic to it all." She wiggled her fingers. "And maybe you don't know what you want, Sophie. Enjoy your freedom while it lasts because when you get a boyfriend, things change. Drastically."

"Ugh, can we not talk about these things?" She hissed and silently hoped no one heard their conversation.

"Someone has to tell you you're so oblivious," Biana murmured and tossed her long, chocolate brown hair elegantly. 

"Dinnertime!" Juline called out, meaning Sophie couldn't give Biana a good retort. 

The triplets who were now in high school sprinted over to the long, large table. Rex, Bex, and Lex still ran around as if they were twelve. She supposed that some things never changed, and some hoped they never would.

Everyone went over to the table and sat down. The tablecloth was a beautiful red as the cutlery glinted, and the wonderful aroma of food wafted over to everyone. Sophie ended up sitting between Linh and Dex. Fitz's seat beside Marella was noticeably absent. Even Mr. Forkle—the Matchmaker Man—was there! She was sure that almost everyone she knew was there. Sophie spotted another empty chair, and her mind wandered away. 

That should have been his chair. He should have been there.

Sophie shook her head vigorously, internally groaning about herself. Keefe was gone! Poof!

Her breath hitched when she spotted Fitz, who was dressed nicely, his hair neatly styled. Sophie looked away and focused on the silver cutlery reflecting off the light from the chandelier. 

"Everything looks so good!" Linh complimented, eyeing the bright, green salad. "Right Sophie?"

Sophie smiled and nodded gratefully.

"All of us mothers have to work hard to feed our husbands and children well!" Edaline said as she rumpled Grady's hair while Juline came over and squeezed Dex's shoulder. 

Grady scowled at Edaline, who tentatively removed her hand out of his hair.

Everyone then closed their eyes and thought about everything they were grateful for before they ate. 

Sophie thought about her kind friends, a roof over her head, and more. By the time she finished listing off things —even if there was so much more—she felt relieved. 

Everyone ate and chattered, sharing silly stories and digging in. Every bit was mouthwatering, causing everyone to want more. 

Sophie was so full and pleased by the end of the day that she had no recollection of everything that'd happened recently. That was until Fitz strode up to her as she lounged around on the couch. The food in her stomach was not settling well anymore. 

Fitz mumbled something incomprehensible and slowly sat next to her. Sophie quietly asked him to repeat himself. He sighed. "I think that we should talk... Not just about Keefe, though. About us too." Her blood ran cold and she watched as a few people passed by. 

"Not right now," Sophie whispered. "It's too crowded." They waited a bit longer, and eventually, there were only a few people in the living room. "Listen, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. We should try again. Go on another date." 

"I don't know Fitz," Sophie said. 

"Why?" Fitz asked. He was aghast, now he was up and on his feet.

"There have been no signs..." She continued.

"Maybe the signs don't matter," He tried.

"No, Fitz. They do." Sophie stared outside of one of the massive windows and watched a bright red leaf slowly fall from one of the trees as she said the words she knew were true but weren't going to happen. "I'm in love with Keefe."