I groan as I turn over in my sleep, trying to get comfortable. I turn onto my stomach and hug my pillow tightly before I hear my door open and my bed dip. My mom skims her hand through my hair and I open my eyes, the light seeping through the curtains causing me to squint.

I turn to face her while rubbing my eyes, still feeling groggy with sleep.
"Morning sweetheart, how'd you sleep?" My mom asks.

"Well and yourself?" I ask, my one eye still shut closed.

"Amazing." She chuckles.

I look at the time on my bedside table and groan again, "It's already ten thirty?" I ask.
My mom chuckles again, "Yep. That party really tired you out huh?" She asks. Suddenly the night's events come crashing into me and my eyes widen, sleep no longer clouding my mind. My eyes immediately open wide and suddenly I'm smiling.

"Woah. What happened at the party to make you smile like a Cheshire cat?" My mom asks suspiciously.

"Nothing... That you have to worry about" I answer quickly. My mom casts me a curious glance and I smile innocently. My mom does allow me to go to some parties if she knows who I'm going with and where. I'm not allowed to drink and my curfew is one but you can imagine how difficult it is to stick to those rules while being an Elite. That's why lying was easier and I did more frequent. I couldn't exactly tell my mom what really went on...

"Anyways, I met this lovely lady at work. She's currently wanting to study journalism and she invited us over for lunch today. I was wondering if you wanted to come along? She's being dying to meet you." She asks me, I nod.

"I remember you mentioning something about her the other night and of course I'll come with." I smile causing my mom to grin like a maniac.

"What time do we have to be there?"

"Eleven thirty, so hurry your butt up honey before we're late." She says, smacking my bum playfully. I laugh at my mother's playfullness. She walks towards my door but turns around before exiting, "Oh, and she has children, one your age too." And with that she closes my door. I feel a little deflated at that because I don't particularly feel like socializing with anyone my age today, Unless it was Rachel or Alex, of course, because I am exhausted from the party and am only going with for my mother's sake.

Secondly, I feel a little cranky that I slept in so late. Now my day is basically wasted.

I sit up in bed, running a hand through my very disgusting hair before standing up and heading to my closet. I pick out a soft blue beach dress- one of the few dresses I actually like- with a pair of white Stan Smiths. I lay my outfit out on my bed and turn my iPod on before opening my curtains and gazing at the blue sky with a new found happiness now that I'm out of the Elite. I smile to myself.

After grabbing a towel, I head to my shower while humming to the music I play on my iPod.

****

"How far are you with that art assignment?" My mom asks, not removing her eyes from the road.

"I've done two of the models, so I just need to do the other one and then I'm done." I answer in relief. The models have taken me a not of time which I've become quite limited on.

"When's it due?"

"Next week." I respond absentmindedly while staring out the window.

She nods and then a comfortable silences fills the car, the soft music from the radio being the only noise.

'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' by Pat Benatar plays and I hum along too it, knowing the words by heart. My mom does too and soon we're both singing quietly to ourselves. I put it on louder and my mom and I immediately start to sing louder, too.

"You can come on with it, come on" I sing

"You don't fight fair" my mother sings

"Thats okay see if I care" I continue.

"Knock me down, it's all in vain"

"I get right back on my feet again."

And them we start shouting the chorus together, bobbing our head to the music and our body instantly moving to the music. I click my fingers in the air and see people staring at my mom and I as we dance and sing in the car like crazy people.

But I don't care, this is pure bliss.

"Hit me with your best shot!"
"Why don't you hit me with your beat shot? " My mom and I lean in, pretending to hold a mic and we continue, "Hit me with your beat shot!"

"Fire away!"

As the song comes to an end, we laugh with each other and I can't help the smile on my face.

"You've always loved that song since a little girl," My mom comments. I nod my head.

"Because you've always taught me to get back up." I say to her gently and she responds with a soft smile. I look back outside the window and remember all those nights my mom was so heartbroken by my father's departure and how she would try and keep it together so I wouldn't have to see the damage he caused. It takes a strong woman to move from something like that and be strong for her daughter. And the fact that my own mother did that makes my heart swell in appreciation.

The rest of the drive is spent discussing my mom's work and all the random things in the world. It takes us about fifteen minutes to reach the street the lady- who goes by the name of Natalie- lives in since she only lives about three blocks down from us.

As we reach her street my mom begins to slow down while trying to look for the house. My surroundings become more familiar to me the further we drive and my eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"Have we being in this area before?" I ask my mom. She looks at me quickly before looking back at the road, "Not that I can re-call."

I shake my head, thinking that it's probably just a myth of my imagination. "What number does she live in?" I ask again, trying to spot the house we're supposed to arrive at.

"Twenty-four." My mom answers, looking at the numbers on her left. The way the numbers have being arranged is confusing and I let out an irritated sigh.

"It's a big house for sure." My mom comments and I glance at her.

"What makes you think that?" I ask.

"Her husband owns those hotels. What are they called? Shoot, I forgot." She says while frowning at her memory.

Suddenly an idea pops into my head and I almost laugh at the ridiculousness. "Is it Rosewood hotels?" I ask curiously.

She laughs airily, "That's the one."

"Here we are." She says, killing the ignition once we're parked in front of house number twenty-four. I stare at the house in front of me with my mouth agape and my head slowly shaking from side to side.

I can not believe this is happening.

My mom is friends with Alex's mom?

Am ai supposed to be happy or uncomfortable with this situation? After all, it rather coincidental. However, I do notice the slight tinge of excitement in my stomach. I let a short laugh out at the situation, causing my mom to pause before she opens her door.

"Why are you laughing?" She frowns.

"Because you're friends with Alex's mom, mom." I tell her.

A look of surprise comes over her face and then she laughs softly, "It's a small world isn't it?"

I nod. "Clearly it is."

"Lets go sweetheart." She pats my leg before opening her door. I open mine too, once again admiring the beautiful house that stands before me. It's absolutely stunning. Completely and utterly breathtaking.

We walk up the driveway, the gravel making a crunching sound beneath our feet and when we finally reach the mahogany door between the two white pillars, my mom knocks.

We hear a few sounds on the other side before the door swings open with much enthusiasm. A tall, slender lady with long, hazelnut hair and piercing blue eyes stands in front of us. With her high cheekbones and plump pink lips, it's obvious she's Alex's mom.

She wears a spring dress that flows against her body with a pair of open sandals while her hair flows down her back at waist's length. When her eyes rest on my mom her eyes glint with happiness.

"Emily! It's so nice to see you," Mrs Rosewood says to my mom, pulling her into a hug.

My mother chuckles while in the embrace, "Thank you for inviting us Natalie,"

My mom then steps back and ushers me forward. I cast Alex's mom a polite smile. She returns the gesture. "You must be Sophie," she says before embracing me in a hug.

"Hello, it's lovely to meet you Mrs Rosewood." I say pulling back.

"Goodness, you are so beautiful." She comments, her eyes sliding over my appearance. "And please, call me Natalie." She answers before letting go of me complaining and moving out the way, making space for us to get through.

"Please do come in." We follow her inside and the house is exactly the same as the last time I saw it. A beautiful aroma hits my nose and my stomach growls for whatever is the cause of it. While she leads us to the kitchen, I come to the realisation that I really like this lady. She does not come across judgmental or obnoxious like a lot of people of money do. Instead, she's very friendly and welcoming. But then again, she also wasn't always rich.

"Take a seat, take a seat." She says once we're in the kitchen. I remember the morning when Alex made me pancakes in this very kitchen and my lips quirk at the sides.

"Lemon water?" She offers with a wide smile. I nod and she pours me a glass before handing it to me. Just then a little girl skips into the room and I immediately recognise her as Alex's sister; Lily. Her golden hair is placed in a cute ballerina bun and she wears a pink and sparkly unicorn dress. Upon noticing our presence, she quickly runs behind her mother shyly and Emily lets out a melodic laugh.

"Lily, say hello to our guests," Natalie says from behind the island. However, Lily only squeks out a 'hello' without showing herself. My lips quirk at her cuteness.

"Sorry," Natalie apologizes to us "She's very shy of strangers."

"She's such a cutie." My mom comments.

"Thank you Emily, you must meet my son, too." Natalie says. I chuckle softly at the irony. Lily glances at us quickly before going back behind her mother.

"Hey Lily," I say from where I am seated, "Do you like the Sugar Plum Princess?"
She perks up and moves slighty out of her moms shadow, nodding.

"I like her too. You know... you look just like her." I encourage her to come forward. She finally reveals herself to me and nods with a grin before walking towards me and grabbing my hand.

"I like you." She says looking up to me. I laugh, "Well aren't you a cutie?"

"You're very good with children, aren't you, Sophie?" Natalie asks from where her and my mother watch Lily and I.

I shrug, "I enjoy working with them."

"I see." She nods. She places her glass down and shakes her head to herself. "Alex! Please get down here! The guests have arrived!" She calls out before looking back at us with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, he's busy with some school work."

I almost laugh at the idea of Alex doing work but my heart soon starts beating faster and my hands become clammy as I expect him to appear.

What is Alex going think about this situation?

"Can we have a tea party with The Sugar Plum Princess?" Lily asks, tilting her head to the side and briefly distracting me from my thoughts. "Thats me, by the way." She whispers after, making me laugh despite my nervous state.

"Of course we can, though I must warn you that-"

"Sophie?" A voice cuts me off. I immediately stand up and cast him a small smile.

"Hey Alex," I say awkwardly. His eyebrows are furrowed together and his hazel eyes stare back at my own.

"You two know each other?" Natalie asks in curiosity.

"Mom, this is Sophie. Sophie Cooper." Alex says tersely and Natalie's mouth forms an 'o' before she smiles in amusement at us, her eyes twinkling.

"What a wonderful coincidence," She says moving the salad to one side on the kitchen counter. He shakes his head with a smile of his own before turning to my mom with a polite smile.

"Hello Miss Cooper, how are you?" He asks.

My mom laughs, "Very well and yourself Alex?"

"Great thank you," he then turns to Natalie, leaning on the island right beside me. I catch a whiff of his clone and I almost drool. "What are you talking about? What 'coincidence' is going on?"

"Well, this is the lady at the university who assisted me, Emily." Natalie explains while checking the chicken in the oven.

"So you and Miss Cooper are friends?" He asks looking between the two. The moms chuckle, "Of course sweetheart, and while we've being friends so have you two," Natalie gestures to the both of us.

Alex then smirks, casting me a glance. "Isn't that convenient?" He asks me. Alex moves closer to me and leans towards my ear, "It's almost as if fate keeps bringing us together somehow."

Although the statement makes me weak at the knees, I roll my eyes and push him away, anyway. His mom and my mom are literally right there and he just tried a pickup line on me. This guy has no shame.

"It's such a small world." His mother calls out from the pantry, oblivious to what her son just said. I feel Lily tug at my hand and I look down at her. "C'mon Sophie, we'll be late."

"Late for what?" I ask

"For the tea party," she whines.

Natalie laughs along with me, "Sophie, if she gets too much just let me know."

"I'm sure she won't be, but thank you anyway." I say giving her a wide smile.

"Alex, don't let Lily be to much of a bother, okay?" Natalie says to Alex.

Alex playfully rolls his eyes, "Don't stress mom."

"Can we go now?" Lily tugs at my arm again. I giggle with a nod, "Lead the way princess."

She does exactly that and drags me down a hallway until we reach a door which reads: "Playroom."

Lily opens the door to reveal a large room with toys all around it. The walls have castles painted on it- obviously by some very talented painters- and in baskets, which are neatly arranged, are toys. In the middle of the room lies a round table with four chairs while a small TV is mounted onto the wall. There's a few picture frames on the wall which mainly consist of pictures of Lily and some of Alex when he was little and had a toothless smile.

It's obvious this is Lily's playroom and I almost feel jealous that I didn't have one like this. If I had a playroom like Lily's, I'm not sure what else I'd want. It's beautiful and really tidy. What more can a little girl dream?

"This is where I play," Lily stated, dragging me to the table and chairs which I definitely can not fit on.

"So, here you go." She says handing me a pink feather boa, a silver crown with pink jewels on it and a matching wand.

"You're going to be... mmh... Princess Candyfloss." She says, giving me a toothless smile. "While I'll be the Sugar Plum Princess." She puts her own little outfit on and I almost "aww" at how cute she looks. I giggle while pitting my boa and crown on.

"Take a seat Princess Candyfloss." She says poshly. I take a seat- well, at least try because I can't fit. Lily frowns at my struggle and pouts to herself as if trying to figure out a difficult maths sum. That is until she breaks out into a wide smile at her newfound solution.

"You're too big, just like Alex. So we're going to have to have a picnic-tea party." She says, pulling out a blanket from one of the cupboards.

"Okay." I agree, taking a seat on the blanket once it's being set out. She sits down too and takes out the tea party set and becomes engrossed in her own little world as she hums while setting up.

"No invitation for me today, Lily?" I hear a familiar voice ask. I turn to see Alex leaning on the door frame. Lily giggles, "You can come on over Prince Cool." As the words leave her mouth he laughs.

"Prince Cool?" I ask incredulously.

He smirks, "You know it."

I laugh along with him before he takes a seat next to me on the blanket. "I'm going to go fetch some cookies." Lily says while standing up and skipping out of the room hastily.

An awkaward silence falls over Alex and I, "It's kind of odd that our parents are friends, huh?" He asks conversationally.

I frown, "Why would it be odd?"

"I mean it isn't odd- I used the wrong word- but rather... coincidental?" He asks, leaning back on his hands.

I frown at my interpretation of his first question, "Yeah, I guess it is." Another wave of silence falls over us again although this time it's comfortable.

"Monday is going to be a big day," He comments.

I scoff, "No kidding."

"Don't stress over it Sophie. We're all here for you, especially me, Prince Cool." He winks, making me smile, "I know, and I really appreciate that."

He gives me one of those heart warming smiles and I feel so giddy.

He then reaches his hands out and adjusts the crown on my head, "Princess Sophie," He utters softly.

"I'm not a princess Alex." I counter back. I take note of our close proximity and feel my cheeks flush lightly.

"Well the crown says otherwise," he smirks.

"Got them!" Lily exclaims as she returns, ending mine and Alex's conversation which causes us to spring apart.

I laugh awkwardly, "Well then, lets get this tea party on the road."
Lily 'pours' Alex and I a cup of tea and I take a sip with my pinky up.

"Prince Cool, how is King Hot?"
Lily asks in a posh voice. I almost burst into laughter at that but I manage to hold it in. "Very fine, thank you Princess Sugar Plum. Has your unicorn- Sweety Pie- recovered from that terrible flu?" He asks in a strange voice.

This time I can't help it. I burst out laughing. Let me tell you- it certainly is a sight to see the bad boy having a tea party with his little sister. They both look at me as if I interrupted something serious and I sober up slowly.

I clear my throat awkwardly, "Sorry, erm... I hope Unicorn Sweety Pie gets better." I apologize, before 'sipping' my tea.

Lily smiles at me, "Thank you Princess Candy Floss." I smile back at her, adjusting my crown which seems to be cutting off blood flow to my head. Alex smirks at me while Lily grabs a cookie and hands one to Alex.

Boy oh boy, she's a cutie.

****

The food Natalie made was absolutely delicious. She made a beautiful chicken casserole, a greek salad, pumpkin, and potato wedges. Then for desert she made a scrumptious white chocolate sauce which she poured over fresh berries, and placed it in a pretty plate.

"Thank you for the food, Natalie. It was delicious," I compliment, wiping my mouth with a serviette.

She grins, "I'm glad you liked it."
Her and my mom continue their conversation and Lily continues nibbling on her potatoes while singing to herself.

"Sugaring up my mom I see," Alex jokes softly and I roll my eyes.

"I'm not sugaring her up, I'm just being polite and honest."

"Sounds a lot like sugaring her up to me."

I roll my eyes again, "Just 'cause you do that doesn't mean everybody else on the planet does too."

He laughs with pure amusement."I don't need to sugar up anybody, one good look at my face and my problems are solved." He replies cockily and I'm about to roll my eyes again when I consider the fact that they might pop out of their sockets if I do.

"You're so conceited."

"And sexy." He adds

"And vain."

"And good in bed."

I give him a dead pan look and he bursts out laughing. "I'm joking Sophie. Although if you want to test that theory, I'm alright with it." He smirks at me. I look at our moms to see if they're listening in on this conversation and fortunately they are too engrossed in their own to pick up Alex's very suggestive words.

"In your dreams pretty boy." I snort.

"Well you did just call me pretty which proves my point."

I scoff, "Dream on."

He moves his face closer to mine, making my breath hitch in my throat,

"Oh trust me, I will." He says with a smirk.

****

The rest of my time at the Rosewood house was spent with Alex, Lily and I playing games which was rather fun. It was refreshing to see Alex being the good older brother and sweet son which is a very different image to the one he has at school. However, I loved watching his eyes glow with adoration as he watched Lily and how he spoke to his mom easily. Alex definitely went a lot deeper than what most people think.

When it finally came time for us to leave, it was well into the evening. On the way home, Rachel phoned to ask how I felt about a movie night together and I wasn't even slightly tempted to pass that opportunity up which is how it lead to here- us looking through movies trying to decide what to watch.

"But how was it?" She aks for the millionth time.

"It was good okay?" I laugh, turning back to her as she sits on my bed and watches me arrange the movies. "I had fun."

"Mmh, sounds like you're getting close to Rosewood." She teases. I roll my eyes and look back at her from my bedroom floor. "Can you stop scrutinizing my relationship with Alex and help me choose a movie? Theres, like, a million different Barbie movies to choose from."

"Mmh, you just admit you guys have a 'relationship' " she smirks. I groan and pinch my the bridge of my nose. "Shut up will you?"

She laughs loudly, her blue eyes thoroughly amused at my annoyance.

"Now come help me Rach," I groan again looking at all the DVDs to choose from.

"Okay, Okay." She laughs before taking a seat beside me on my bedroom floor.

Rachel and I decided to have a Barbie movie marathon since we used to love them when we were little and we used to have these marathons quite often before she moved to NYC.

"So which one first?" She asks.

"Well I thought of these," I say, holding up three movies: The Princess and the Pauper, The Island Princess, and Mariposa. They're only a few of my favorites and yet still very difficult to choose from.

She laughs, "The Princess and the Pauper it is."

She snatches the DVD case from my hand and runs to my TV quickly. I laugh as she excitedly puts it in and we jump on the bed getting comfortable. With the snacks around us, the warm blankets, and my best friend beside me: my happiness has reached a whole other level.

The blue and pink butterflies fly onto the screen and the princess- Anneliese - and the pauper- Erica- start the opening scene. We hum along and soon Rachel and I are fully engrossed in the story, waiting for our favourite scenes to take place.

Finally, my favorite part arrives and Rachel and I share a knowing glance at one another.

The Princess and the Pauper meet each other and begin their lines before singing.

"Here it is," Rachel knocks me- a little too hard- to get me up. We both sit up excitedly and wait. As the lines start so do we, me being Anneliese and Rachel being Erica.

"At least you're not an indentured servant," Rachel talks with Erica on the TV.

"Indentured servant?" I ask in feigned confusion as Anneliese says it on the TV.

"If I'd like to have my breakfast hot
Madame Carp will make me pay,
And I have to fetch the eggs myself
And the barn's a mile away.
It's cold and wet
But still I get an omelette on my plate,
But in my head I'm back in bed
Snuggled up and sleeping late."
Rachel sings while standing up on my bed and putting her hands on her hips.

"Really?" I ask, my lips spreading into a wide smile.

"Really. But it's all right.
I mean, I'm used to it.
And you?" Rachel says with Erica.

Now I stand up, "Well..."

"Well?" Rachel asks excitedly.

"If I want some eggs I ring the bell
And the maid comes running in,
And she serves them on a silver tray
And she brings a cookie tin.
And while I eat, she rubs my feet
And strolling minstrels play,
But I'd rather be in my library
Reading science books all day."
I sing.

"I'm just like you," Rachel sings extremely off-key and I laugh before saying the next line.

"You are?" I ask.

"You're just like me
There's somewhere else we'd rather be
Somewhere that's ours
Somewhere that dreams come true
Yes I am a girl like you.
You'd never think that it was so
But now I've met you and I know,
It's plain as day
Sure as the sky is blue
I am a girl like you."
We grab each other's arms and start skipping around on my bed as well as we can, making me laugh hysterically.

Finally the song comes to an end and we fall on the bed breathless; our singing, dancing and laughing tiring us out completely.

I turn my head to look at Rachel and grin, "Gosh, it's so good to have you back Rach."

She smiles at me, her eyes twinkling.

"It's good to be back."

Hello my lovely people!💕
What did you guys think of this chapter? Did those Alex & Sophie moments satisfy your requests? Cause they sure did for me! :)

So I wanted this chapter to be out earlier however, I was actually waiting for GC to hit 1K since we're so close! Only 20 views away! I wanted it to be like a 'thank you chapter' but I know we'll reach 1K soon.

So I'm just going to thank you guys in advance:

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I honestly thought GC would only hit 1K when the book was completed and yet here we are, only halfway and at 1K. Thank you so much for the support! I really love you guys and all the comments you leave for me!

Stay amazing!
xoxo

P.S This chapter will be the last update for a while since I officially start examinations on Friday. So sorry guys! But stay tuned! There's a long road ahead! Oh, and good luck to everyone who is writing exams:) God bless!

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