It's hot. Too hot. I shoved the comforter off my body and rolled over, my sweaty legs cooling rapidly. Much better.

"Sophie? You up?" Laura poked her head in through the door, cracking it a bit.

"Hey," I respond.

"D'you want anything from the grocery store? Or do you want me to bring you anything in general? Karen is about to go run a few errands for me."

"Can you get me some more fruit?" I'd always prefer fruit over most junk foods. People say I'm weird; I say I'm healthy.

Laura left and I found myself staring up at the ceiling, rethinking the events that happened yesterday.

Laura came back in a short, few minutes, but this time was carrying a tray full of fruit.

"Thank you," I said, putting the tray on the bed next to me.

She offered a warm smile. "My pleasure. And honey?"

"Yes?" I popped a fat, green grape into my mouth.

"Tonight, I'm having a few guests over. They would absolutely love to see you," she told me with a smile. "Do you think you might be able to come and join us for a little while?"

I thought over it, but then after realizing I couldn't exactly say no to her, agreed. I mean, she adopted me for Christ's sake. It was the least I could do. "Sure."

"Great," she beamed. "Make sure you wear one of the dresses I bought you. The attire should be slightly formal, too, if that's alright."

"Of course, no problem." I forced a smile. If she wanted me there, that probably meant Troy was going to be there too. I wasn't in the mood for him. He could just be so irritating.

A few hours later, I chose my dress for the evening; a high-low dress with a lavender skirt with a tight, spandex-like material top for the bodice.

After stripping from my clothes, I stepped into the warm water of the shower and began to scrub my skin as fast as I could in a short period if time then washed my dark hair. The water made it look a few shades darekr than it really was.

As I walked back to my room with a towel wrapped around me, I could smell the food that's been made for this event. It was like the smell was pulling me downstairs. If I hadn't been ready I probably would've gone downstairs to eat.

I put on a robe and brushed my hair out, spraying it with a bit of leave-in conditioner. I put it in a quick braid so it looked more controlled.

I quickly did my makeup--foundation with a shimmery brown-grey smokey eyes for the eyeshadow, a few strokes of my Maybelline mascara, a bit of blush, and a light peach lip stick.

Now shoes....

I sifted through the shoes piled up in the back of my closet, then picked out a pair of black and brown wedges. The wedge part was a woven, twine-ish material and the black was shiny leather that wrapped around my toes and ankle.

I looked at my outfit in the full length mirror, and wow, I felt absolutely beautiful. The dress hugged every curve on my body and the shoes made my legs look much longer and slimmer.

I undid my slightly wet hair and let it cascade down my back and frame my face in loose waves.

Laura's party should be starting in a little while. I could tell that things were just beginning when the doorbell started to constantly ring every few minutes. It was guest after guest after guest.

I was starting to get nervous, why? No clue. Maybe it's just that feeling of impending doom that I used to get when... No, I cannot continue thinking like this.

I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to build up courage to walk down the steps in these impossibly high heels. I soon sucked it up and exited my room, tip-toeing to the top of the stairs.

I made it a few steps down, "Holy shit."

Troy and Ashton had been talking with a group of people, but then I saw Troy smile at them and turn around. He literally stopped and stared for a few seconds, making my breath catch in my throat.

I felt self-conscious as I made my way down the grand staircase. It made me feel like I was going to fall and humiliate myself with every step I took, having Troys eyes on me the entire way down. I don't think we ever broke eye contact.

"Sophie!" Ashton exclaimed once he turned around, too. He pulled me into a hug. Wow, he smelt so good. You're such a creep, Sophie.

I put my arms around his waist and squeezed him tightly. I don't care if it had just been a hug, it still caused my stomach to slightly fill with butterflies and my cheeks to grow warm. "You look absolutely stunning," he complimented me. He just likes to make me blush, I concluded.

"You look pretty decent too," I said with a smile on my face. He was wearing a charcoal colored suit with a white button-up shirt under it and a thin, black tie. Okay so no, maybe he did look more than pretty decent.

He returned my smile with one of my own. I looked over Ashton's shoulder--something I just wouldn't be able to do without these heels--and saw Troy standing there, glaring down at the fancy looking glass cup he had in his hand.

When he looked up, our gazes immediately connected. I looked away and excused myself from Ashton, telling him that I wanted a drink.

I ran into Laura (not literally) on the way to the drink table. "Sophie, come here for a second. I have someone for you to meet."

I nodded and walked over to her and the two other people she was with. "Marie, Davis, this is Sophie. Sophie, Marie and Davis." I smiled at them and shook both of their hands. "They work with me."

"You're so beautiful," Marie said. "I wish I could have a daughter as pretty as you one day."

"Thank you." I smiled at her. I hardly ever get called beautiful anymore. "You're too nice."

Most of the evening went like that. I played nice with all of Laura's friends that I was introduced to, making the best impression I could because I knew it would help Laura in some way.

Ashton asked me to dance with him in the ballroom about an hour and a half since I had come downstairs. Of course I agreed and being that close to him, it just had an awkward effect on me. I was excited, but all I could concentrate on was how my feet were killing me. All the smiles he shot me now and then, I returned with one of my own, but I knew they didn't reach my eyes.

"Do you mind if I steal your girl for a second?" a deep voice said from behind me.

Ashton's hands dropped from me. "Sure thing, Troy. Just make sure I get her back later." And with one last wink from Ashton, he turned and left. I turned around to meet Troy's eyes.

"What do you want with me, Troy?" was the first thing out of my mouth.

His brows pulled together. "Sophie, can we not do this here?" He sighed. "Just come with me."

He intertwined his hand with mine, causing an electric feeling to fly up my arm.

We exited the ballroom and went into an empty hallway. Nobody else was in there except for us.

"Why'd you pull me out here? To call me a bitch again?" I slightly cringed at the word.

"You know I didn't mean that." He sighed and paced in front of me. "Sophie, I was really out of line that day and I was pissed at Laura because she, well, that doesn't matter. It just came out, okay? And you accusing Brooke of being my 'slut for the week' just pushed me over the edge. So sorry for lashing out at you. I just can't stand you being mad at me."

I kept my eyes locked on the ground in front of my feet. "Why? It's not like we got along in the first place," I muttered.

"But at least then I knew you didn't completely hate me."

"I don't hate you, Troy. You're just irritating." At that he gave a full blown smile. As much as I hated saying it, I did anyway. "I'm sorry that I said that about Brooke."

"It's fine. We broke up anyway."

A part of me almost wanted to jump in joy. "Why? You two seemed so perfect for each other," I cooed sarcastically.

"Oh, be quiet. No need to make fun. And to answer your question, she just doesn't quite do it for me. I've kind of had my eye on someone else." In that moment, his eyes looked completely serious. "But I have something else to talk to you about, Sophie."

"What is it?" Is he going to say...?

"How do you feel about Ashton?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you like him?" he questioned.

"I don't see how it's any of your business if I did."

"Just answer the question, Soph." He put his hands on my shoulders and got really close to me. "Do you like him?" he drawled.

I gulped, wondering if he could hear my heart beating with how hard it was going. "I mean, I just met him two days ago, and I--"

"So you do."

I stayed quiet and that was good enough as an answer for him. He took his hands off my shoulders but still stood close to me. "Did you want him to kiss you last night after your date?" Once again, he took my silence as an answer. "Would you have kissed him back if he did?"

"I guess..." I trailed of looking away from him. He grabbed my chin and gently made me face him so that my eyes were looking into his. His eyes had darkened a shade.

"Do you know what that means?" He saw my confusion and answered his own question. "Were you trying to make me jealous by using Jake?" he asked slowly.

Shit, shit, shit! I realized what I confessed to. He knew that I was trying to make him jealous. Why didn't I think about that? "W-we broke up?" I lied quickly, saying the first thing that rolled off my tongue. But you know, he definitely knew it was a lie when I stuttered and when it sounded more like a question. Dammit.

"Is that so?" he asked, a knowing grin tugging at the corners of his lips. I nodded.

I bit my lip and couldn't look at his eyes. "Yes."

He placed one of his hands on my cheek, sliding it to the back of my head so that it wove into my hair. He tilted my head so that I was looking at him again.

"Look me in the eyes," he started slowly, "and tell me that you and Jake were together but broke up."

I don't know when it happened, but he seemed even closer to me now. I couldn't lie directly to his face, especially when he was looking at me that way--the way that sent tingles down my spine.

That's when I broke. His blue eyes were piercing mine, and I felt like there was nothing else that I could do. "I can't."

"Did you pretend to make me jealous?" he spoke in a low voice, softy massaging my head with his hand. I think I literally stopped breathing when he took his other hand and absently and gently brushed my lip with his pointer finger. That's where I had been biting it just seconds ago, something I do when I'm either nervous or scared or excited.

I didn't think I could talk with his hands on me like that so I only managed a nod. He didn't say anything for a moment. Then the one word, the one word I had been hoping he didn't come out his mouth did exactly that. "Why?"