So I never really post videos or pictures in the heading, but this time is an exception. I thought the song "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri was so fitting in this chapter. It's also one of my favorite songs of all time and she's one of my favorite singers of all time. Enjoy!

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(Sophia)

A statue. That's what I feel like. I can't seem to maneuver my brain into making into some kind of movement whatsoever. My joints feel like someone fused them into place, with my mind in an eternal state of shock. I don't know what to do or say. It's not until the conversation replays in my mind that my body starts to loosen up. 

But with that comes the cost of a familiar feeling piercing through my heart. The hot sword of heartbreak is shoved through my pillow like heart. The unmistakable pain sears throughout my body, causing tears to well up in my eyes. I bite my lip out of pure sadness, while taking deep breaths in an attempt to ease the pain that's soaring throughout my whole body. 

My vision blurs because of the hot tears that fill my eyes. I try to swallow the lump that's forming in the back of my throat, while preventing the tears to have the ability to fall. I sit back down on my bed, looking down, sniffling, while trying to absorb everything that just happened. 

The next thing you know, I hear the door swing open, and Anthony marches in to my room. I look up at him, and he just stands there, with a worried look on his face. "Sorry, Soph. I had to listen in. I just needed to make sure nothing went wrong." 

I give him a little smile, but the pain from all of it prevents proper words from being formed. "Are you okay?" he asks, and the next second he realizes that's probably the dumbest question to ask me right now. 

I shrug a little. "I think so. Did I do the right thing?" 

He nods his head vigorously. "You did. You did the right thing. Come here," he says, spreading his arms out in the expectation of a hug. Knowing it's Anthony, who's just a cuddly teddy bear underneath that big, bad exterior, I get up and almost collapse into him. 

He wraps his arms around me, while tucking my head under his chin. "You did the right thing, Sophia. I'm so proud of you. You've become so mature." With him saying that, I start to sob. I bury my face into his chest, catching a whiff of his familiar cologne. 

While I'm sobbing, he just holds me, whispering things into my ear in an attempt to comfort me. During that time, a soft knock comes at my door. "Sophia? Can I come in?" my mom asks. 

I don't feel like I'm in the mood to say anything, as this is too comfortable, so Anthony calls out, "Come in, Mom." 

I hear the door swing open, and then my mom slowly walks in. I hear her whisper, "Everything okay?" 

Anthony's chin moves on the top of my head, which indicates he's shaking his head no. My mom wraps her arms around me, with the mom sensor going off like crazy inside of her. Both of them hugging me just feels so comforting, and I never want to let go. Knowing that my family is right by my side, supporting whatever moves I make is more than enough for me to be content in life. Anthony and my mom let go of me, and my mom wipes the tears with her thumbs. 

"Sophia, it's okay to cry. It's your first heartbreak. I don't blame you. But don't worry, everything will get better. How about you go wash your face, and then you can have an eclair that I made. Will that make you feel better?" 

I nod, and say, "It's Grandpa's recipe. Of course it's going to make me feel better." My mom gives me a slight smile, and walks out of the room to go tend to her work in the kitchen. Anthony looks at me with another slight smile, and just gives me a slight nod. 

He turns around to keep on working on his college things, but before he leaves the room, I call out, "Anthony?" 

He turns around a little bit. "Yeah?" 

"Thanks for the comfort. I really needed that." 

He gives me his signature brother bear smile, and says, "I'll always be there for you, Soph. Just remember that." He walks out of the room, with his smile still plastered on his face. 

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't infectious.

**********

"So, are you sure I'm not going to hear your mom screaming at you in Russian to study?" I ask over the phone. 

"No. She knows that I studied a lot today. Plus, she likes you, so there's really nothing to worry about," Sonia assures me. 

"And your dad?" 

"Do you even know my family, Sophia?" 

We both giggle, as I continue to pull the covers over myself because it's really cold nowadays. I hear Sonia sigh, as she says, "But seriously. I think you were way too generous with Victoria. She's literally treated you like the garbage you find on the streets, and yet you still have the decency to spare her feelings about Ray." 

I chuckle a little bit. "Well, nobody deserves to have their feelings played. I may have had mine played a few times, but it's not fun. She definitely doesn't deserve to be spared. But oh well. Just make sure you won't regret this in the long run. Because you never know what will come back and bite you in your ass later on." 

Even I don't know about that, Sonia.

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Believe it or not, I'm on a roll. The words are flowing out of me like a waterfall. I'm unstoppable at this moment. Nobody can prohibit the amount of words that are flowing out of me and onto this virtual piece of paper. This is arguably one of the few times in which I've actually written an essay smoothly and without taking 30 minute breaks in between for every 5 minutes worth of work. 

By 20 minutes, I've already moved onto the third page, after starting from two and a half pages of written content. Also by that time, my fingers are aching and I absolutely need a break, considering I'm only about 150 words away from the minimum word count. 

After deciding to give my fingers a break, I plug in my headphones and continue to listen to wherever I left off with my music. The first line that I hear when I start the music back on is, "Darling don't be afraid. I have loved you for a thousand years. I love you for a thousand more," from "A Thousand Years," by Christina Perri. 

It's one of my favorite songs, but after reflecting on everything that I went through with Ray, the lyrics become 100 times more relatable. My feelings haven't developed into love just yet, but I could sense the fear in Ray when I told him that I just couldn't date him yet. 

That fear, I thought, didn't need to be there because I have liked him for too long. And I probably will for another eternity. 

As I'm listening, I hear Anthony knock on the door. "Dinner's ready, Sophia," he says through the door. I take off my headphones and walk to the dining table to get some dinner.

After eating dinner and finishing up my essay and other homework, I lay in bed with my pajamas on and just stare at the ceiling for what seems like an eternity. Then, I shift a little bit and reflect on what just happened today. 

That's when the hot needles of heartbreak start to pierce again. I know that heartbreak set in again when you were about to fall asleep, but nobody told me that it would be this strong. The heartbreak causes one tear to trickle out of my eye. Then two. Then three. 

Then it just turns into a sobbing episode. I'm burying my face in the pillow to dry my tears, and then with that, it ends up with me falling asleep. The overwhelming feeling of dread also follows along with it. Tomorrow's not going to be fun. 

Facing Ray is going to be overwhelmingly painful. Even with this kind of pain, I don't even know if I can get through it. 

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Well, this chapter was kind of an emotional roller coaster. If you were Sophia, what would you have said to Ray and why? Let me know your answer in the comments. 

Hello my dear readers! It's me! How did you like this chapter? Did you like the "A Thousand Years" and the "Let Me Love You" reference? I thought "A Thousand Years" was the perfect song to listen to while reading this chapter. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and let me know what you think in the comments. 

Please vote/comment/follow/share/message if you like my work! I'll see you all next Sunday with a new chapter! Have an amazing week!

Love you all for a thousand years, and a thousand more,  

S.V.T.S