The sound of the smoothie machine going on and Rachel singing along to the music she's playing on her phone can be heard. I shake my head from where I'm sat on the couch watching Gilmore Girls.

"How long is it going to take for you to make that smoothie?" I ask.

She glares at me, "Oh, quit whining..."

I laugh lightly, "Okay mom." Suddenly, the ring of my phone cuts through the rest of the noise and I reach for it on the table.

When I see the caller ID, I grin and press it to my ear. Speaking of the devil.

"Hey mom, how are you?" I ask and gesture to Rachel to turn the music down.

"Great and you, sweetie? How's your trip going?"

"I'm great and the trip is going amazing!" I gush over the phone. My mom laughs and a bit of homesickness hits me straight in the gut.

"I'm glad to hear that, Sophie. How was surfing?"
I gasp and begin to tell her all about it, from the first day all the way till now- Friday. She continues to laugh and ask me questions which I can basically hear her smiling at over the phone.

Eventually, Rachel walks over to me with a smoothie in each hand and sets one down for me while taking a seat beside me. She gestures for me to give her my phone and I nod, "Rachel wants to talk to you, mom." I hand the phone to Rachel and she presses it to her ear letting out an excited "Hello Aunt Emily!" And from then on, my best friend begins to gush to my mom about everything and I laugh.

The woman's my mother yet you'd think she was Rachel's.

After another fifteen minutes of talking I snatch my phone back from Rachel and tell my mom I love her before cutting the call.

Due to the fact that it's still early in the morning and we're only going to the beach in a few hours before going to a bar tonight, since it's our last day, Rachel and I get comfortable on the couch before switching shows to Gossip Girl.

"I just don't understand... Chuck and Blaire's relationship is so messed up! Can't they see that they're supposed to get married and have a happy family?" She exclaims in what can only be described as pure frustration.
I try my hardest to hide my amusement.

This last week has been incredible and so much fun and I can't believe it's nearly over. I don't want to go back to school and face all the drama that I call my life.

"Hey, Soph?" Rachel asks me suddenly, snapping me out of my reverie of thoughts.

I look over at her and raise a brow. "Yeah?"

Confusion is clear on her face but so is hesitation, "Uh, I know this is a bit random, but I've been wondering... what happened to all those other friends of yours?"

I freeze before gulping.
"What friends?" I ask obliviously.
I know it's silly to play the dumb card on Rachel since I know she'll figure it out but I do it anyway.

"Those girls that Zoe and I were never too fond of. The ones in the pictures all over your wall? I didn't even know Alex and everyone else existed."

I scan her face and swallow the lump in my throat. Nobody knows what went on in Ridgevale High- not my mother, not Rachel, not even Zoe knew when she was around and I practically told her everything. The thing was that what was I supposed to say? I got messed up with the wrong crowd and I'm in too deep now? I mean, I only truly realized what I had gotten myself into at the beginning of junior year. Before that, the Elite were my "friends". I actually enjoyed spending time with them. I was oblivious to what was going on around me; to what I had become. And by the time I had come to my senses, it was too late.

It may sound dramatic and life-changing but it is... High School is such a big part of my life and I screwed up. Sure, I could have told my mom and she would've gotten involved but where would that have gotten me? Bullying? Tormenting? No friends? Moving schools? My life had already taken a drastic turn when my dad left and moving around was the last thing I had wanted. I was naive, oblivious and gullible; forced into popularity which only further pressured me into other situations when all this time I could have had real friends.

How I kept it from my mom was beyond me. I guess she was still mourning from the death of her marriage to notice what I had become. Maybe I just knew how to lie all too well and she ate it all up. All I know is that she didn't deserve it. She deserved to know the truth. The truth about what I've done- parties, alcohol, vandalism, hung out with people who take drugs just for the sake of it. I deserve the opportunity to tell her.

The division of the Elite and the Rebels isn't some petty high school drama. It's more than that. The hatred between us goes way back and it's affected everyone at Ridgevale High. Some just more severely than others.

Rachel eyes me curiously and I try to keep my composure.
"It's a long story Rachel." I say, my voice croaky due to the emotions.

She senses my discomfort and grabs my hand in a comforting manner, giving me a small smile. "Luckily we got time."

****

"Why didn't you tell me, Sophie?" Rachel asks after I finish explaining everything to her.

I sigh, "I don't know... I never thought it was going to get this bad." She gives my hand a gentle squeeze and I stare at our linked hands.

"I'm not mad, you know. You had your reasons." She reassures me.

I shake my head, my eyes glossy. "I feel so stupid. Why did I ever get involved with them?"

She rubs her thumb in a circular motion on my hand. "Your life was a mess at that point in time."

I frown, looking up at her. "That shouldn't have been an excuse."

She sighs, "Yes, but it's done now. You made the mistake. You're trying to correct it and that's all that matters."

I look at her and sniffle a little. She scoots closer to me and pulls me into her side where I rest my head on her shoulder. "I must say though that the way you and Alex met was kinda cute."

A smile worms it's way onto my face. "Yeah..." A beat of silence passes between us before she breaks it.

"Do you miss them?" She asks quietly.

I frown, "I miss the idea of them, what I thought they were. But it does still hurt when I think of Chris or Kelcy."

"It'll get better, Soph. Just know that I'm always here for you."

My heart swells. What did I do to deserve such a good, understanding best friend? After everything I've done, she still looks at me for who I am. She can look passed my mistakes and just support me. Maybe if I had told Rachel about everything earlier she would've helped me figure a way out.

She suddenly chuckles lightly, making me lift my head to look at her.

"What?" I ask curiously, the tear stains now dried on my cheeks.

"I just can't believe she keyed your car." She laughs. I shake my head with her and chuckle lightly before we're both crying from laughter. I don't know what we find so funny but I don't care, it feels good to laugh with Rachel.

It feels so good to laugh in general.

****

I apply some red lipstick that Nina had so happened to bring along with her, and run a hand through my hair. Once I'm finished, I lean back from the bathroom mirror and smile.

"So? How do I look?" I ask Rachel.

She smirks at me, "Stunning." Due to us going to a bar close by, I decided to dress up a little. I left my hair natural, it's waves cascading down my back while I wear a simple white off the shoulder shirt with a pair of light wash denim shorts. I paired it all together with a pair of thick block heels and not much makeup except for mascara and lipstick.

Rachel on the other hand is wearing a Bahamian style jumpsuit and looks beautiful. Her blonde hair is done in a beautiful braid and her soft china blue eyes are even more vibrant against the colour eyeshadow she's wearing.

"Cole is going to be drooling all night." I comment.

She laughs, her cheeks going slightly pink. "C'mom. We'll be late."

We leave our hotel room, locking the door behind us before walking to the elevator to meet the others in the lobby. We press the button and the elevator doors close, a soft music playing in the background as we move down before we stop and the doors open again. The lobby has a few people walking about and hotel maids pushing their trolleys of cleaning products to the many hotel rooms. "There they are." Rachel says, pointing to Nina, Christina and Cole. We walk over to them and they grin. I take in what they're all wearing and smile at how they all put in a little bit more effort tonight compared to how we've being lately.

Cole and Rachel slowly start on their own conversation, Rachel giggling softly and I smile at the sight. Rachel has never been in a serious relationship and she hardly paid any of the guys who chased after her in high school, any attention so to see her flirtatiously smile at Cole is a sight that makes me want to squeal for her.

"You look super cute." Christina comments.

"Nevermind cute... Hot." Nina grins.

I smile gratefully at the them. "Thank you guys. You clean up well, too." And it's not one word of a lie. Christina's blonde hair is loose while she wears a red minidress with wedges. Nina on the other hand has her hair up in a sleek ponytail while wearing a simple, black shirt under a leather jacket paired with a denim skirt and pair of sneakers.

"I can't believe this week is already over." Christina mumbles sadly.

"I know," Nina says.

"It went by so fast." I pout sadly.

"Now we have to go back and deal with all that shit again." Nina grumbles.

"Lets just make the most of our last day." I shrug.

"Ready to dance your ass off?" Nina nudges me.

I laugh, "You know it."
Nina's eyes go passed my head and look behind me. I turn around to see what she's looking at to find Martin, Alex and Dylan walking towards us. When they finally reach us, Martin smirks at Nina. "Who you looking so fine for?"

She laughs mockingly, "Myself, sweetie."

I stifle a laugh at her obnoxious comment before looking at Alex. He's already looking at me and I give him a small smile. This evening he wears a crispy white shirt with dark wash jeans. The shirt hugs his arms and torso tightly giving you an idea of what's beneath it. When he reaches me, he smirks.

"You look pretty."

I blush. "Thank you. You look good too."

He mocks hurt. "All I look is 'good' ?" He gasps in horror and I roll my eyes.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sweating just looking at you?" Which is quite the truth.

He smiles mischievously. "Well, I would prefer for you to be honest." I hit his chest playfully and he laughs. When Dylan comes and stands near me and Alex, the smile drops from my face as does Alex's. Alex moves closer to me, his posture no longer relaxed, almost as if he's trying to protect me.

The group slowly huddles together. "We all ready to go?" Martin asks. We all murmur our agreements and we start walking to the car. I catch up to Rachel and link arms with her, the guys all behind. We hear a wolf-whistle behind us and I glance at the boys who are staring at us.

Nina rolls her eyes, "Fucking perverts."

Martin smirks, "You love this pervert though."

She rolls her eyes again and flips him off but doesn't deny it.

When we finally get into the car it takes about twenty minutes to get there and when we finally do, I'm itching to go dance. The parking lot has quite a few cars and inside seems to be quite busy. Music plays loudly while people dance in one end of the room that seems to be for that exact purpose- dancing. On the other side is two pool tables where a few guys are playing around. People are sitting by the bar that runs across the wall, chatting away.

I drink in the scenery- the red strobe lights, brown furniture. It's like a mini club almost.

The girls head to the bar as the guys head to one of the pool tables. A middle-aged man behind the bar table gives us a dazzling smile. "What can I get for you ladies today?"

After Nina, Christina and -surprisingly- Rachel recite their orders to him, they turn to look at me expectingly. I shrug.

"Water would be great."

****

♛ALEX ROSEWOOD♛

It was just like I remembered it and I smile slightly at the familiarity. It's being a while since I've last come here but it's definitely being worth the wait.

I aim my pool stick at the ball and hit it gently, my target rolling into one of the pockets. The guys all groan around me and I smirk smugly. What can I say? I can play a mean game of pool.

"What the actual fuck man? I swear you're cheating." Martin grumbles. I grab his shoulder in what's supposed to be a comforting manner and smile.

"Maybe you just suck at it."
He tries to punch me in my stomach but I move much too fast for his liking and he rolls his eyes, making me laugh.

The sound of girls laughing catches my attention and I look in the direction of the others. They're all up on a table, dancing. I shake my head at the sight. They're dancing to a song playing on the radio and Sophie looks like she's in her element as she waves her hands up above her head that's bopping up and down to the beat while she sways her hips.

Nina on the other hand, looks more tipsy than everyone else. "The way those girls like to dance." Cole tsks. I look back at him and laugh. Martin pouts when his ball doesn't move in the direction that he wanted it to and he sighs. "That's it. I'm done."

I walk over to him, "Don't be a sore loser, loser." I tease him. He punches me in the shoulder and I punch him back.The girls let out another loud cheer and we all gaze back at them, spotting them easily amongst the small crowd due to their platform and I laugh at Sophie who looks so carefree. It's funny how she never smiled like that at school. Her smile was never genuine unless she was talking to Kelcy and Chris. And they didn't even deserve it. It's funny how she never showed who she really was. It was sad really; how she was forced to be someone else.

"Why don't we do shots?"Cole asks me to which I'm grateful for the distraction away from my thoughts.

"I'm the designated driver bro." Martin sighs.

"It's chilled man, I'll drive for you." Dylan finally pipes up. Great. I was finally able to ignore his presence and then he talks.

Martin grins, relief flooding over his features. "Really? Thanks man." He pats Dylan on his shoulder and Dylan smiles tightly.

"No," I interrupt "I'll be the designated driver. I don't want to drink and there's no doubt that Harris will drive us off a cliff." I say it nonchalantly as I place the pool stick back in it's cabinet, but in all honesty I want to punch him.

He's a fucking dick. After I tell him how I feel about Sophie- when he had insulted her for no reason- he goes and tries to kiss her! Like what the actual fuck? After I saw them on the beach, my anger reached a new boiling point and when he caught my eye from across the beach, I knew he had done it on purpose. I just don't get this guy.

When I turn back around, Dylan looks at me unimpressed, "Funny."

I give him a sarcastic smile, "Damn straight, it's fucking hilarious."

Dylan glares at me and I glare back. Cole sighs, "Can you two please just chill with the testosterone? It's our last night here, let's make the most of it." I don't look away from Dylan, my gaze unwavering until Dylan breaks eye contact and gives Cole a grim smile. "I can but I don't know about him." He gestures to me and then walks away while I stare holes into his back.

Cole sighs and gives me a pointed look. "What?"

"Chill dude."

I roll my eyes, "I am chilled."
Cole scoffs but I ignore it as we make our way to the bar.

"You think the girls would want to join?" Cole asks.

Martin scoffs, "Nina? Most definitely."

I take a seat on one of the bar chairs and raise an eyebrow. "What is actually going on between you two?" I ask. We've all been friends since around Sophomore year and Nina and Martin have always seemed to have a connection. Nina is like a sister to me and I know that she sees Martin more than just a friend. It's obvious. Nina doesn't take shit from anyone but Martin can push her buttons a little further than the rest of us without making her snap. Not only that, but the flirtatious smiles they pass when they think nobody is looking is a dead give away. They've had their moments where they've been close- and I mean physically- but nothing materializes out of it. I mean, I did see them nearly making out in the hallway the other day. I don't get why they don't just go for it. Its clear something is there.

Martin sighs and runs a hand through his golden locks. "I don't know, man." He looks over at the dancing and giggling girls, staring longingly at Nina.

I pat his shoulder, "Go for it bro. She likes you."

Martins eyes switch to mine. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?" I retaliate.

He rolls his eyes, "It's complicated, that's all."
I shake my head at him. Another loud hoot resonates from Sophie's mouth. I snap my head to her and watch for a second or two before looking back at the bar table. How can I be so hypocritical? Here I am telling Martin to go spill his heart out to Nina while I can't even do it to Sophie.

I'm such a fucking wuss. I probably don't even have a pair of balls down there anymore.

Cole suddenly scrapes his chair back and throws a thin jacket over himself. "I'm going to go ask the girls." I nod at him. As Martin and I talk away, I notice how Dylan takes a swig of his beer before staring mindlessly at the table. Clearly something is wrong. Maybe if I cared enough I would actually make a point to find out why.

Not even a few minutes later, Cole returns with the giggling and clearly adrenaline-pumping girls on his tail. Nina walks over to Martin and wraps her arms around his neck from behind. He turns around in her arms and looks up at her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She whispers something at him that makes him smile. Their noses are nearly touching and I feel the urge to push them together. Idiot.

"They should just get together," I hear a sweet voice whisper in my ear. I turn to see Sophie taking a seat next to me by the bar table and she flashes me a dazzling smile. I look back at Nina and Martin who are now not as close and shake my head with a light chuckle. "I've been counting on that for four years now. He says 'it's complicated' "

Sophie moves her head from side to side in a thinking manner. "Well... admitting your feelings to someone isn't as easy as it seems."

I raise a brow at her, "Oh, really? You speak from personal experience?" I ask moving closer.

I see her eyes widen just a fraction before she smiles innocently, "Maybe."

We stay like that and I laugh. This girl will be the death of me.
Cole then announces amongst us that we're doing shots. Due to the fact that Sophie and I don't want to drink, we sit off to the side while the others take on the challenge. I'm surprised Rachel decided to join. She doesn't come across as the drinking type. I wonder if Rachel even knows about the Elite and Rebels. She has been friends with Sophie for a long time so she must've met her friends. The question sits at the tip of my to tongue but I don't ask Sophie. I don't want to kill her good mood.

We both watch the others pour shots, "One! Two! Three! Drink!" They all chug it down and Nina slams her shot glass down first.

"Yeah bitches! I win!" She shouts excitedly.

Martin pouts. "Not on my watch."

She smirks smugly at him. "Is that a challenge?"

He slams another five dollar bill down for more shots. "Hell yeah."

****

The music is louder than before due to Sophie asking the DJ to turn it up with one flash of her dazzling smile. The Rebels' laughter from beside me fills the place as they play beer pong but I can't concentrate on them. All I can concentrate on is the gorgeous girl in front of me. Her body moves in rhythm to the music as she grins happily. She knocks one of her heels she had originally left on the table, after going barefoot, off which she giggles at.

She is so beautiful. Scrap that. Beautiful is such a lousy way to describe Sophie. She's crazy in the best way possible, she's witty, she's kind and every time I'm with her, I can't quite seem to catch my breath yet I feel like I can actually breath all at the same time.

Fuck. I can't do this.

I run a hand through my hair frustratedly. However, when I look back up at her, the giddy grin returns on my face and the rest of the world is drowned out and my sole focus is her. Sophie.

She gestures for me to join her and I shake my head with a chuckle and she pouts at me, putting her hands on hips. I stand up and walk closer to her.

"I'll dance with you... but not up there." I point to the table she's standing on. She grins and nods in agreement. Within a moment, her hand is wrapped around my neck and my arms are around the back of her legs as I pick her up off of the table.

I turn away from the table and the Rebels laughter. I don't know what it is or why I do it but I don't put her down and she doesn't make an effort to ask to to be either. Her hands play with the hair behind my neck and I drink in her features; her brown eyes that are wide and innocent, her pointy nose that has a few freckles dusting it, her high cheekbones and her rosey, plump lips that form the most breathtaking of smiles.

"What?" She asks me though I barely hear it due to the music.

I shake my head, "Nothing, I'm just thinking about how I love your smile." Her frown tugs up into a smile, pink dusting her cheeks.

A chuckle lightly at her expression. "I like your smile too." She says "Your laugh especially."

I raise a brow at her, "Really now?"

She nods, "Really."

I laugh again and she grins at me intently before it morphs into a frown, worry invading her features. My eyebrows pull together.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

She swallows hard, "I'm worried."
I finally put her down but I don't remove my hands, instead moving them to wrap around her waist. Her hands rest around my neck and I can feel my heart beating loudly.
"Worried about what?"

She sighs. "School... The Elite... Courtney..." She trails off looking away.

"Hey," I start, clipping her chin so that she'll look at me. "We're all here for you. I'm here. Fuck them, Sophie."

Her eyes snap to mine and she presses her lips into a thin line. "I don't want to involve anyone. Especially you, Alex, you don't deserve to have to deal with this bullshit." She sighs. By now, we're the only still people in the dancing area.

"And neither do you. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." I say, my eyes searching her face.

"You can't possibly promise me that, Alex." She says with a shake of her head.

I raise a brow, "Really? Watch me."

She looks at me in awe, a grateful smile gracing her lips. She hugs me tightly, resting her head in the crook of my neck.
"Thank you." She says softly.
I rest my chin on top of her head, the smell of strawberries invading my senses and I hold her as if she'd float away if I didn't.

She pulls back and gives me a large grin, "I think the others are pissed."

I laugh, "I'd say so too."
We both chuckle when I hear someone call Sophie's name and then mine. We both pull apart and look to the others to see them beckoning us over. Sophie lets go of me and walks over to Rachel while I follow close behind.

However, I can't help but think that if my feelings for Sophie are this strong now, I'm terrified of how they're going to be by the end of this.

Yes! An update on Wednesday! Can I get a whoop whoop?

How are you lovelies doing?

What did you think of this chapter? Did you enjoy it? Did you fan girl?

I know I might say this a lot but I feel like Game Changer is really growing and that's only thanks to you guys. Please don't stop being amazing. I love you all so much.

However, I have also noticed quite a few silent readers. Please don't be afraid to vote and drop me a comment every now and then. It really encourages me as a writer and I love hearing from you guys :)

Quick Q: What do you think is Dylan's problem?

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