I find it strange how someone can stay mad at you for so long without actually coming to the realisation that you don't even deserve it. I mean, how long does it take you to come to your damn senses? Those are the thoughts I have as I look at Kelcy across our lunch table. She doesn't even spare me a glance, just talks soflty to Tyler. I internally roll my eyes and flip Courtney off in my head. I still can't believe what she did...

How low can you go?

"Hello, Earth to Sophie." Someone says, snapping their fingers in front of my face. I jolt back into realisation, seeing Courtney looking at me expectantly.

"Huh?" I ask in confusion and she rolls her eyes.

"Can you pay attention for once?" She scorns and I purse my lips to keep from saying anything. We all look at her expectantly before she smiles adoringly at Logan.

"We're all going to Seder Square on Friday. You all cool with that?" Logan says, his tone flat and monotonous. The boys all cheer.

"Yeah, man! When was the last time we went clubbing?" James asks. As everyone agrees to go clubbing, I do too simply because clubbing means music and music means dancing.

And I love dancing.

"Great! Make sure you guys have your IDs." Logan reminds us. Some of us haven't turned eighteen as of yet which means that we have to use the fake ones to get in. However, we were already sneaking in at sixteen so it's nothing new anyway.

"I hope that they actually have decent DJs." Ashleigh rolls her eyes. I begin to zone out of the conversation and my eyes roam over the cafeteria until they finally settle on a very unusual place; the Rebels' table. I watch how they interact with each other. Martin throws something at Alex and he smacks Martin upside the head. Nina roll her eyes, saying something to the boys with a frown. Martin pouts at her and she rolls her eyes again before Martin leans back in his chair in a mini tantrum. Alex gives him a smug smile. Dylan says something to Thalia who nods and I frown. Christina mumbles and Alex chuckles. I continue watching, only for Alex to slowly turn to me causing his smile to immediately drop from his face and him to sober up. My eyes widen slightly and I purse my lips. His hazel eyes look at me curiously and I gulp, not able to pull my eyes away. He raises an eyebrow at me and I'm about to do it back when I'm jolted from the side. My head snaps to Chris who is eyeing me weirdly.

"Huh?" I ask and I hear a sigh from in front of me. Courtney looks at me in irritation and I give her a sheepish smile. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying that the theme is glow in the dark so we're all wearing black with glowing paint. Understood?" She scorns and I nod.

"Yeah, okay."

"Great." She clips and I sigh softly before looking back at the Rebels briefly and then back down at my lap. I wish I could say that their friendship wasn't admirable.

Too bad that's the truth.

****

Coco Café is a small café just a few kilometers from Sunny Smiles which makes it convenient and accessible for me before going there. That's why I order a chocolate milkshake and take a seat at one of the tables next to the windows so that I can look at the busy road and evergreen sidewalks. As I sip on my milkshake, my mind drifts back and forth between my current thoughts. I've being friends with the Elite for a long time but I've recently felt so out of place with them. Like everything is so fake and unreal amongst us. I don't even dress the way I'd like to. Why should it matter how we look? We're human anyway. I have to put up with gossip and lies, while pretending that I enjoy it and it couldn't be even farther than that.
I would rather be surfing at the beach than going to parties or constantly shopping at the mall which is so boring due to us always going there. I have to keep this wall up when I'm around them because I'm scared they'll use whatever they can possibly find against me.

That's not how a friendship should be...

You should feel comfortable with your friends, happy and carefree with them. You should be able to trust them with all that you've got and for them to be able to support you even when you deny how much you need it. However, we don't have any of that.

A sigh leaves my mouth as I think about how I have no way out. I'm in too deep with their drama. I know too much that I could use against them and despite the fact that I wouldn't, Courtney wouldn't believe me. Besides, I've been friends with them for the whole of high school, would I even know how to be real with new people? Would I still be a liar? Would I still not trust them?

The only trustful friendship I've ever had is the one with Zoe, my cousin, and her best friend which I later grew really close with. So am I even 'friend' quality?

Not only that but if my mother knew half of what I've done, she'd probably send me to a boarding school.

All the Elite do is criticize the Rebels when they all genuinely seem happy and appreciative of each other. What do Courtney and the others find so bad about that? I wish we were like that.

I finish off my milkshake and pay the bill before climbing back into my car and driving to Sunny Smiles with fifteen minutes still left before I start my shift. When I park my car in the parking lot I make my way inside the air conditioning building and sigh in content when I feel the cool air stick against my skin.

I relish in the feeling before I hear a laugh. I open my closed eyes to see Kathy watching me with an amused smile.

"Hey," I say, smiling sheepishly. She giggles.

"I take it that it's hot outside?" She asks and I snort.

"You have no idea. Sometimes I wonder why I still live in Miami." I laugh and Kathy nods.

"I think we all do."

I shrug. "At least we have a beach." I counter and she nods in agreement.

"At least."

I smile before checking my watch. "I'll chat later. My shifts starting," I tell her and she nods while getting back to work. When I step into my classroom, the kids squeal as they see me and run to hug my legs. I chuckle at their reaction and Renaé smiles at me from across the room.

After I manage to peel the kids off of me and Renaé leaves, I agree to let them watch a movie today.

"Do you guys want to watch Lady and the Tramp?" I ask them as I observe the stack of DVDs they have on one of the shelves. They all cheer and I take it as a yes and put the movie on. The room suddenly becomes quiet as they stare at the magic box and I shake my head with a smile. Children sure love TV.

When the door opens behind me, I have hope that it's Sarah when instead it's Alex. I don't know why I still hope she'll come when she hasn't pitched up for the last few days and whenever she does, she's late. Alex brings in a box of tools but doesn't spare me a glance. I sigh.

Same old; nothing new.

I chew on my lip nervously, trying to decide whether or not I should say something when I'm suddenly blurting out his name. He stops digging through the toolbox and looks up at me with an expectant gaze. I'm reminded of what happened during lunch between us but try not to let my mind drift there as I need to tell him this desperately. He stands up and dust his hands off.

"Yes Cooper?" He asks, irritation seeping into his voice.

I purse my lips. "I know we're supposed to be arch enemies at school, but can we at least be civil with each other here?" I ask nervously. For a split second, he looks surprised before he masks it over with a blank face. He stares at me for a second too long, making me want to squirm before he looks down at the floor with his lips pressed in a firm line. My stomach drops in disappointment as I realise he doesn't want that. However, I am quickly proven wrong when he looks back up at me with a minute smile that tugs at his lips.

"Alright." He responds before bending back down and going through his toolbox again. I gawk at his response, not expecting him to have agreed so easily. He looks at me with a smirk.

"I must warn you though, most of my girl friends end up being a little bit more than that." He says cockily and my mouth closes shut before I roll my eyes. However, a small smile is present.

"Dream on Rosewood." I quip and he chuckles but doesn't say anything more. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest as I turn back to the class. At least Alex is willing to try and make our time together more bearable. I didn't expect that of him.

"How is things going with Kelcy?" He asks and I'm taken by surprise. I shrug at his question, ignoring the burning feeling in my chest.

"She still won't talk to me. Thinks I'm the one to blame." I mutter and he nods.

"You Elite seem to be rather misunderstanding huh?" He jokes, but I don't miss the slight edge to his voice. I look down at the floor.

"We just try too hard." I answer and he looks at me questioningly.

"Do you?" He asks and I feel the words stick to my tongue as his hazel orbs hold my own.

"Yeah. I do." I eventually whisper and he looks away with a nod.

"Maybe you should try being yourself a little more frequently then." He answers me and I frown at his words. How would he know if this wasn't who I really I was?

"One day." I shrug.

So Alex and Sophie are at least on decent terms at the moment. How do you feel about that?

Thank you for your endless support! :)

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