Chapter 3

Sophie's POV

The next morning Sophie woke up in a pile of sweat. She hadn’t realized how nervous she was for this date until a bucket load of nightmares washed over her while she was sleeping. In each one Keefe looked like a model with his perfectly styled hair and beautiful eyes. However in every single dream Sophie was a different disaster: She had a messy bed head, drool, mismatched socks, a dress on backwards, all things that looked like they were straight out of a horror movie. 

“Huhhhh”she sighed glad the exhausting, sleep depriving night was over. 

“Oh God! Now I have to do this for real!” How was she supposed to look as cute as Keefe always did? And not humiliate herself by looking absolutely horrible? There was only one solution Sophie could think of, and it was the last thing she wanted to do. Ugg I have to. She thought. She’s my only hope 

“Vertina” she grumbled for what seemed like the 100th time that week. 

Sophie sighed, and stepped in front of the mirror. She prepared herself for an insulting comment but what she got was almost worse somehow.

“O.M.G. You’re going on a date today?! Tell. Me. Everything!” Vertina squealed

Sophie turned bright red. Then she realized she hadn’t told anyone about her date.

“How do you know about that?” She asked

“All night you kept mumbling: Date, Cute and Keefe” “So spill”

“Uggg fine” Sophie said humiliated. Then against her will she told Vertina everything.

“Ok we have to make you look perfect” “And you definitely can’t go looking like that”  

Sophie rolled her eyes.

“I’m going to need backup,” Vertina continued. “Do you know anyone super stylish that could help?” 

Sophie was about to say no when she remembered she did know someone. Oh great. Sophie thought. Then she finally gave in and called Biana over, explaining the situation. Biana was there in less than 2 minutes and as soon as she arrived she ran over to Sophie squealing. 

“OMG Sophie I can’t believe you are going on a date with Keefe!” We have to make you look perfect! Where do we start?”

Immediately Biana and Vertina got to work doing a full makeover on Sophie. Around an hour later they were done.

“Sooo...What do you think?” Biana asked as she turned Sophie around so she could look at her reflection.

Sophie smiled. She looked really pretty and she was super happy with how it had turned out. She was wearing some pale blue jeans, with a cute pink top, with short sleeves that hung slightly under her shoulders. Biana had helped do her hair half up half down with some soft waves framing her face. She put in a cute clip with gold accents that matched the small golden earrings that she was wearing. They had also put on some eyeshadow that made her eyes sparkle and the tiniest bit of lip gloss on to finish the look.

Just then Edaline walked in, and smiled when she saw Sophie. 

“You look beautiful! Are you going somewhere?” She asked with a knowing smile.

“Umm... I have a date with Keefe” Sophie said, trying to look anywhere but her face, knowing she was wearing one of her goofy smiles again.

Edaline grinned “He just got here. He’s waiting downstairs”

Sophie said goodbye to her friends and slowly made her way downstairs feeling equal parts jittery and excited. However as soon as she saw Keefe and met his eyes, all her worries washed away and the whole world seemed to disappear around them. Keefe was wearing jeans, with a light gray beach hoodie that made him look even more like a cute surfer. The Hair was styled perfectly with only the slightest bit messy. His eyes shone and in that moment they were the most beautiful things Sophie had ever seen. He looked absolutely perfect.

 

Keefe’s POV

When Sophie finally came down stairs the most beautiful thing about her wasn't the expertly styled hair or the fashionable outfit it was the way her eyes glimmered when they found Keefe’s and the smile that grew on her face. Keefe took a few steps towards her leaving them centimeters apart.

 “You ready?” He asked. He was ready to whisk her away to the magical date he had planned, but first there was something he really wanted to do. They leaned toward each other until their noses were almost touching

“Nope,” a deep voice interrupted. 

They broke apart quickly, and as Keefe looked up there was only one thought in his mind: Oh No. Lurking at the top of the staircase was Grady, and he walked down to them with a smirk on his face. 

“You two didn’t seriously think you could get away with this without telling me?” When he turned to see their facial expressions he asked again “Or did you?” 

“Grady!” Edaline said walking over to where Grady was standing “Give the kids some peace, they're just going on a date!” 

“So you knew about them?!? Come on Sophie, you could have told me!” Grady looked down at Sophie with a tinge of sadness in his eyes. Keefe turned around to look at Sophie and saw her cringe a bit too.

“Sorry Dad, I meant to, I just, well I thought that you wouldn’t take it very well. You know after Jolie”. 

She really looked sorry, but also took a big risk playing the Jolie card. Luckily Grady looked like he was in a forgiving mood. So when he sighed Keefe took that as a good sign.

“Alright I will let you go, but only with one condition.” Grady said “Keefe and I are going to have a little talk.” Grady raised an eyebrow almost as if he was challenging him. 

“Umm.. sorry what?!” Keefe said, with little fear of hiding his emotions. He turned to Sophie and saw the pleading look in her eyes 

“Please” she begged. 

“He’s going to kill me,” Keefe said dead serious. He was pretty sure Grady would make him walk off a cliff in a matter of minutes. But he really did want to be with Foster and he would do anything to make her happy so...

“Alright fine” Keefe sighed, giving in. As soon as he saw the thankful look in Sophie's eyes it was immediately worth it. Or it will be if Grady doesn’t kill me. He thought.

Slowly he gulped, took one last look at Foster for support and followed Grady into the room.

Oh Boy, here goes nothing.

 

Keefe’s POV - In First Person

As soon as I followed Grady into the kitchen, I started preparing my last words. Maybe I love my life, please let me live? Nah, that sounded way too desperate. How about, Please I’m too handsome to die? He would probably slap me for that last one. When we went in, Grady pointed to a seat and I sat down quickly, praying I wouldn’t have to use any of my ideas. 

“How long have you liked Sophie?” He asked with a strange glimmer in his eyes. 

I couldn’t place the emotion but could certainly feel Foster’s worry coming from the hallway outside and, it was a wonder she hadn’t barfed yet. Thankfully the question had an easy answer.

 “From the moment I met her, she was the most beautiful…”

“I don’t need all the details!” Grady said quickly, looking like he didn’t want to be in this position either. 

Great, so it was super awkward for both of us. 

“Look I know this is weird, and uncomfortable for everyone so let's just end it now” I begged, hoping I could be free of this conversation. 

“As much as I wish I could do that, you and I both know, we have to do this” Grady sighed and focused his greyish blue eyes on mine. 

Being under his full attention was a new type of scary, and it put me in a very stressful position. I sat up straight trying to look mature, and act more like an adult. Ha, I would probably never be a super mature adult but I could pretend to be. 

Grady continued, “I trust you Keefe more than it may seem, and I know you really care for her. I just …” his voice broke. “I need to have your word for it”

 When I gained the confidence to look up at him again, his eyes were practically pleading for me to promise. I put a brave face on and began, 

“Then you should know that I will always be there for Sophie. No matter what happens, even if she ends up hating me in the end, I will never leave her side. I will never let her get hurt. I promise I’ll always be there for her.” Now my voice cracked. “I love her so much. Always have always will,” I said quietly. “So please don’t kill me”? I asked. 

This startled a deep laugh from Grady that surprised me so much, I joined along. 

We left the room and I felt a million times better than when we entered, and not just because I was relieved to be alive. 

 

Sophie’s POV

Sophie stood, pacing outside the kitchen. Keefe and Grady had been talking for a while and Sophie was starting to get nervous. She knew Grady would never hurt Keefe (at least she hoped he wouldn’t), but she was more worried that she wouldn’t be allowed to date him. He had never really approved of Keefe and compared to Fitz who seemed perfect in every way, she thought Keefe might not look as great. She just hoped her dad could see that Keefe was perfect for her. He was kind, thoughtful, sweet and sooooo cute. 

“Hello? Earth to Sophie?” Edaline said, snapping Sophie out of her daze. “Are you ok? You went from worried to goo-goo eyed in like 2 seconds”

Sophie blushed and did her best to wipe the dreamy smile off her face

“I just wanted to tell you that Biana went home. Also don’t worry, Grady likes Keefe a lot more than he’s willing to show”

“I hope so” Sophie said, slowly sitting down and resisting the urge to yank out an eyelash.

Just then the door swung open, and Grady and Keefe walked out both smiling, and Keefe looking relieved. When she met Keefe’s eyes he winked at her, and all her worries washed away. Quickly she ran over to him and couldn't help herself from asking,

“So? How’d it go?”

“Pretty good actually” Keefe grinned “I think your dad likes me”

Sophie smiled and hugged him tightly. He held her and she wanted to stay there, comfortably in Keefe’s arms, feeling safe and so incredibly happy. 

Edaline sighed happily reminding them that they weren’t alone. Sophie blushed as she saw her parents staring at her and realized the position she was in. She was resting her head against Keefe and was holding him around the neck as he wrapped his hands around her back. They looked like they were on the cover of a romance novel and slowly they broke apart, both of them bright red, but with huge smiles plastered all over their faces.

“Ready to go now?” Keefe asked 

“Definitely” Sophie smiled “Although where exactly are we going?”

“That’s a surprise” Keefe grinned his eyes shining mischievously “Just trust me”

“Ok. I trust you” Sophie said, looking up at him dreamily. 

“Have fun!!!” Edaline said waving

“Don’t stay out too late” Grady warned

Sophie tingled with excitement, and couldn’t help feeling happier than she had all week. And could you really blame her? I can’t believe I’m going on a date with Keefe Sencen! She thought as the light quickly took them away.

 

 

“Sophie!” Edaline yelled, waking Sophie from her peaceful dreams. “Get downstairs, we are leaving now”! Sophie squinted her eyes adjusting them to the morning light. Why was her mom yelling at her so early in the morning? Then she remembered. Grady and Edaline were leaving to go to some convention for the nobility. Sophie wasn’t invited so she had decided to invite Keefe over, and try not to worry too much about Fitz. Her date with Keefe yesterday was so amazing it passed in a blur. She had sooo much fun! So when she hopped out of bed and ran to say goodbye to her parents all she could think about was the fun time her and Keefe would have again today. She had told Keefe to arrive at 9, and it was already 8:30, so she  needed to start getting ready. She rushed up to her room, already thinking about what she would wear. She opened the door and ran over to her closet. Hmm… she thought I can’t look too forced, but I obviously don’t want to look like I just came back from Exile either… After trying on several things, she settled on wearing a cute grey tunic with a small red rose decorated on the side and some plain black leggings. This felt fancy but also just like herself. Now all that was left was how she was going to do her hair. She hesitantly stepped into Vertinas sight line, which was becoming way too much of a routine. 

“Wow you look… like you weren’t run over by a car. Good look for you.” Vertina said, instantly appearing in the corner of the mirror. 

Sophie rolled her eyes “I need help with my hair.” She said impatiently. After ten painful minutes of hair pulling, name calling, and pure pain, Sophie's hair was in a 

Half up, half down bun. It was casual but cute and Sophie loved the look. A few minutes after she finished she heard a knock on the door. Keefe! She thought, nervous and very excited at the thought. She ran down stairs, and answered the door. 

“Hey Foster!” Keefe said, smiling at her. His genuine smile was becoming more and more regular and Sophie loved it. 

“Hey Keefe.” Sophie replied, smiling brightly. “ Want to come inside?” 

 

An hour later they were sitting in her room, Sophie trying not to laugh. She rolled her eyes teasingly.

“Stop Keefe,” She said, trying not to smile and failing. They were just hanging out, but Keefe  kept distracting her by making comments about how pretty she was. 

He smiled up at her and the look in his eyes made her heart flutter. They stayed there looking at each other, neither one of them wanting to break eye contact. Suddenly Keefe looked down nervously.

“Hey Foster?” He asked quietly

“Yeah Keefe?”

“I was wondering if, maybe you wanted to go to the ball with me on Friday?”

Sophie blushed and smiled. She went over to Keefe, gently tilting his head up so he could look into her eyes. 

“I’d love to go with you Keefe” Sophie whispered

Keefe smiled and looked relieved. Then he got a mischievous look in his eyes

“Wanna dance?” He asked holding out his hand

“What? Are you serious?” Sophie asked

“Why not?” He grinned

“Fine. But I better warn you I’m really bad”

“Oh yeah, I know you’re the clumsiest person in the world” Keefe teased

“Whatever” she said rolling her eyes “Let’s dance!” She said playing the human music she used to listen to.

They danced around her room talking and laughing. 

“Wow you weren't kidding. You really are terrible at this” Keefe said laughing. He spun her around and pulled her close to him, so that they were inches apart. 

“Shut up Keefe,” Sophie said, laughing. Then she leaned forward kissing him.

Keefe opened his eyes widely, shocked at first then smiled and kissed her back. Sophie could have stayed there forever kissing Keefe but suddenly she heard a third voice "WHAT IS GOING ON?" Fitz screamed. Sophie jumped apart from Keefe, looking down with only one thought in her head:

OH.NO.

 

Fitz’s POV

What is she doing? Fitz thought, pacing around in his room. Well, she’s doing homework like Biana said. Biana has no reason to lie. Right? He thought. I’m the most popular guy in school! He reminded himself. Why would anyone break off a date with me for homework! He groaned I had such a special date planned! I was going to take her to the forbidden cities and- he cut himself off, knowing he would just get annoyed again. But it made no sense! Who would break off with a guy who was the most gorgeous, intelligent and popular guy in school. Maybe, he thought tentatively, I could go to Havenfield and help her with her homework. Just check up on her. Definitely not because he wanted to see if she was actually doing homework. Normally, he would ask Biana for advice, but she was off with Dellas shopping in Atlantis. “Dad!” He yelled, “I’m going to Havenfield to see Sophie!” “Have fun!” His father yelled back, his voice muffled through walls. Fitz walked up to the Leapmaster. “Havenfield!” He called, and leaped away.

 

He came into view of Havenfields pastures. As he walked up to the house, he thought about why he was here. What am I doing here? Do I have this little faith in Sophie? Well, the story was suspicious…. He continued to the house. When he reached the front door, it was cracked open. He could hear laughing and some odd kind of music coming from upstairs. Wait, was that human dancing music? He heard voices. Two voices. He walked up the stairs following the beat. The noises were coming from Sophie’s room. There were voices too, he could hear Sophie laughing with someone else. “Shut up Keefe.” He heard her say. What? Keefe!? Why Was he up there with her? He bounded up the stairs, opened the door, and found the two of them kissing , after they finished dancing to the music. “WHAT IS GOING ON?” He exclaimed as he barged into the room. They instantly jumped apart, Sophie hiding her face from him, Keefe looking pale. “Hey Fit-“ he started, but Fitz cut him off, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE KEEFE!?” Fitz screamed, pinning him up against the wall. “Well,” Keefe started, “I decided to come over today, impulsively-” “LIAR!” Fitz shouted. “This was planned wasn’t it!” Fitz said, dropping Keefe and advancing on Sophie “This is why you canceled our date isn’t it? So you could spend time with HIM!?” Fitz said, turning back towards Keefe. “Fitz, it’s my fau-” Sophie said, attempting to redirect his anger at her. “YOUR RIGHT, IT IS.” Fitz said with disgust. “But, he wasn’t forced to come here either!” Fitz said, lunging towards Keefe. I’m going to kill him! Fitz thought furiously, advancing on keefe. He was about to punch him, when a voice screamed “Wait!” They all turned to the door, where they saw a panicked brown haired girl.

 

Biana’s POV

Why did I leave Fitz alone? I should have known he was going to do something crazy! Biana thought as soon as she returned home and learned where Fitz had gone. “Igottago!” She told her parents hurriedly. “Havenfield!” She shouted into the Leapmaster.

When she glittered onto the field she immediately ran to the house. Things were relatively quiet. Well, nothing could have happened yet if things were this quiet! Right? Maybe she was being overdramatic! This was her brother! This was her brother… She ran faster. As soon as she was up the stairs the yelling was easier to hear. Coming straight from Sophie’s door she saw three people standing in her room. The darker haired one was yelling. Man she really messed up big. She reminded herself it wasn’t too late and walked up to see what was happening inside. “Wait!” She yelled not even bothering to notice what was going on. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. When she looked up she saw that she was right. Fitz was lunging at Keefe and about to punch him. Now that she had screamed everyone stopped and looked at her. “Fitz,” she continued “don’t hurt Keefe, it’s my fault.” “Ya right, Biana it’s not a good time” Fitz looked angry but she knew how to calm him. As a kid they had learned that Fitz got angry easily and he couldn’t bottle his emotions like most people did. It was a good thing and in this case a bad one. “Fitz,” Biana started patiently, “Think about this,” Biana said, glancing around the room. Sophie looked pale and afraid. Keefe looked like he was attempting not to be punched, which was probably smart. And Fitz still looked murderous. “Look who's watching.” Biana said, glancing at Sophie. Sophie had recently become Fitz’s reason for being calm. “Biana do you not get it?” Fitz said, raising his voice. “Sophie and I are clearly history, since she’s cheating on me with- this.” Fitz said, snarling at Keefe with disgust. What did he mean “this?” “This” was his best friend! “Fit- Fitz,” Sophie said tentatively, “Just let me explain.” “Sophie, there is no need.” Fitz said, surprisingly calm. Maybe I had calmed him after all! But Biana knew that was unrealistic. “You obviously have either been a) mesmerized to do this, b) are being dared to, or c) have gone insane. After all, I am the most popular, amazing, good looking guy in school!” Fitz said, gazing at his reflection. If I had a luster for every time he thought that. Keefe murmured something. “What was that?” Fitz snapped, turning towards Keefe. “Nothing!” Keefe said quickly. Too quickly. “LIAR!” Fitz shouted, pinning Keefe up against the wall. Brilliant, we are in the same spot as when I arrived. 

 

Sophie’s POV

Well, Sophie thought darkly, at least now I don’t have to break up with him. Sure at the end of this Keefe will be dead and I will have witnessed a murder, (maybe I will be maimed a little myself,) but at least I will be spared an awkward conversation. Nope, she thought. This was Sophie’s room, Sophie's territory whether they wanted to or not they would all walk out of here is one piece. “Fitz!” She said leaving behind any thought of the pale girl she was a few seconds ago. She walked up to him furious. “You can barge into my house but you can’t hurt my boyfriend or any of my friends for that matter.” She realized her mistake almost too late. She had said boyfriend. “Boyfriend?” Fitz said but this time instead of anger his tone was soft, almost hurt. He dropped his hold on Keefe letting him crumble on the floor. “Is- Wel- He-” Fitz stuttered. He cleared his throat. When he spoke again his voice was raw and hurt. “Is he your boyfriend?” 

 

Keefe's POV

Keefe was pretty sure Fitz broke his back; it was either that or he was turning into a grandpa. When Fitz had slammed him against the wall for a second time he was thinking about surrendering. He couldn’t hurt Fitz, no Fitz was his best friend, yet the thought had come to him almost too many times. Looking past Fitz’s angry eyes he saw Sophie in the corner cowering. But the more he looked at her the more he could see something changing. Sophie was boiling, he could feel her emotions clearer and noticed she was channeling anger. When she got up and practically yelled at Fitz, Keefe couldn’t help but feel proud. But then he felt a different set of emotions come from Sophie towards Fitz. Sophie was hurt. That was when he realized Biana and him weren’t a part of this conversation. Fitz and Sophie needed to talk it out. Without thinking he summoned his last bit of strength, got up and walked past the Fitzster. He mindlessly walked over to Biana, grabbed her wrist and pulled both him and her out of the room locking the door behind him. Sophie and Fitz wouldn’t leave that room until they figured it out and luckily for him Sandor had put a human lock on the door handle. “What was that for?” Biana said clearly annoyed. “I know it’s not the best solution but it’s what we need to do” there was no one that would change Keefes mind. After all, he had just locked his girlfriend and her ex boyfriend in one room.