a/n: I GOT MY SWAGGY THINGY... it came in a few days ago but we recently found out my little sister has been placing all the mail in this deserted corner and I didn't get to open it until last night. I used the rectangle-sticker-thingy as a bookmark for my book and my English teacher came over and started talking about how much she loved my bookmark and how cool it is and I was sitting there holding back from telling her literals everything having to do w/ the book. 

tbh idk where I'm going with this book anymore and we just need to hold on until the plot for the second book will finally kick in. It'll be going slow for the next few chappies.

I NEED BOOKS TO READ SO IF YOU HAVE ANY FANFICS JUST TELL ME AND I'LL READ IT/THEM

NOT REREAD AND ONLY FOUR CHAPTERS LEFT AFTER THIS!

"I want to go see Sophia and Silveny," Keefe said in a whiney tone.

"What about Greyfell? Everyone always leaves out Greyfell!" Sophie avoids his statement.

"And Greyfell, too," Keefe said with a soft sigh. "So, can we go?"

Sophie shook her head. "Actually, I have plans today," she said, getting off her bed. 

"Plans?" His eyes widened. "What about my plans?"

She rolled her eyes. "Keefe, you know I wouldn't not hang out with you if I didn't already have plans," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

"I feel so betrayed," he said, faking a sniffle.

She grinned and quickly pecked him on the lips before pulling away and walking over to her small bag. "I'm going to go shopping with Biana, Ashla, and Marella."

"Marella?"

"I never included her when we little and I just. . . I feel so bad about that. I never even thought of including her and I know that hurt her. I'm making that up by including her now." She nodded her head slightly. "Yeah, that."

He sighed, dragging out the sound exaggeratedly. "I suppose I could let you go off and hang out with a bunch of girls. Go braid each other's hair or something like that." He went to leave.

"Love you!" She called after him, but he just waved her off.

___

"What is it like to be married?" Biana asked Ashla, frowning.

"Why? Is someone not telling me something." She raised a teasing eyebrow, and grinned mockingly.

"No. Dex would never ask me to marry him."

"You guys are going to date for life?" Sophie asked, frowning.

"No, I just. . . I just can't picture him down on one knee holding up a ring."

"If it's any constellation, Fitz proposed standing up and got the ring after I said yes," Ashla said, laughing slightly while she said the words.

"When I was with Cael he proposed by asking me in the jewelry store when Stina came into the room. Man, she was so mad. . . " Marella trailed off with a small laugh. "Though, Jensi--"

"You and Jensi are getting married?" Sophie's mouth dropped.

"Gosh, no," she said, "we just got together." She shook her head, as if clearing away the thought. "No, more when he asked me out, he asked me with a promise ring and it was so cute!" She looked at everyone else. "How did your guys ask you out?"

"Um, actually. . . I kind of asked Fitz out through a note when I was walking by him in Atlantis. We talked for a few minutes when we found out we were on each other's lists, but he didn't really make a move because he was so hung up on Sophie-"

"Please, who hasn't been hung up on Sophie?" Biana scoffed.

"Huh?" Sophie frowned. "The only guys who ever liked me were-"

"Fitz, Dex, Keefe, Cael, Jensi, Valik, their other friends, Zeb, Griffin-"

"Griffin?" Sophie's eyes widened. "I didn't know about him!"

"Yeah, but he was like serious about wanting to ask you out. It's sad because in the end he knew it would never happen because everyone knew in the end it would be either Fitz, Keefe, or Dex. Then Dex started to be more cousin-y to you and it was narrowed down to Fitz or Keefe. There were bets that were placed."

"That's so. . . I feel really bad." She frowned. "Wait- Bets?"

"I bet my bracelet in sixth year that you'd end up with Keefe," Ashla said, "because I had a crush on Fitz. So glad that worked out. I got the person's favorite necklace when you finally chose."

"I feel so. . .violated." She cringed. "Like, my love life isn't just some game you can take bets on. . . It's my life. . . "

"Hey, don't worry honey. Fitz and Keefe were never part of the bets if it means anything. They knew about them, but never said anything," Biana tried to reassure her. 

"Hey, let's distract you from this. So, how'd you and Keefe get together?" Marella tried to distract her.

It worked because immediately afterwards a grin lit up on Sophie's face. "My favorite story!"

"That she has told about a bazillion times," Ashla said with a dramatic sigh on the end.

"I've never heard it, and I wanna know," Marella defended.

"Well, I was talking with Bronte-"

"Bronte? As in, Councilor Bronte? The story of your love life starts with Bronte?"

"The story of my love life starts with the moment I met Keefe, if you wanna go that far."

"Ooh, she doesn't tell that story that often. Tell that one!" Ashla demanded.

"Well, the first time we met was after I blew up my old alchemy teacher's cape-"

"I remember this one," Marella said, grinning.

"All us Foster-Keefe-ers have it stuck in our memories forever to give us feels."

"I blew up a cape and he made fun of me."

"He walked you to Elwin's!"

"It was humiliating."

"It was romantic."

"No, romantic was the time we rode on Silveny to go get me fixed so I could help fix Alden," Sophie explained, smiling at the memory.

"Or the time that he gave you his mother's necklace!"

"He gave it to me because of him going away to the-"

"Wait, he gave you his mother's necklace?" Marella grinned.

"She never wore it and he knew I would," Sophie said in a defensive tone. "It was romantic, yes, but at the time I took it as friendship."

"His mother's necklace is a sign of friendship?"

"Standing so close your shoes were almost touching and your faces so close. . . Your lips could just touch. . . He put the necklace on you-" Biana was cut off with a shove from Sophie, but it only made her laugh. "Man, your relationship was goals before it even started."

"Biana Vacker-" 

"Or should we say, Biana Dizznee?" Sophie cut Ashla off, teasing.

"Haha," Biana muttered, "Mrs. Sophie Sencen."

Sophie gasped mockingly. "You did not!"

"Oh, but she did," Ashla encouraged.

"Dang, you actually are Ashla Vacker now, so I can't say anything," Sophie complained.

"I win!" Ashla chirped.

"I win because I can't be targeted," Marella disagrees.

"Oh yeah, Mrs. Marella. . . Uh. . . What's Jensi's last name, again?"

"Aren't you supposed to have a photographic memory?" 

Without skipping a beat she said, "The Black Swan doesn't let me remember certain things."

The girls laugh and enter the all-too-famous jewelry store.