Up there is the adorable Kuri Holmes as Sophia Grace Ryder! =)

Dedicated to m3aliyaseen !

|Chapter 2|

   It is now two days before we move to Philadelphia, and I have never felt so excited. The anticipation was killing me, and this time, in a good way. I have already packed all my belongings along with Sophia's, and for that, my mom was extremely grateful. She has been so stressed out these days, packing up and trying to find a job in Philadelphia.

Mom was a secretary before she had to quit for the move, and she hoped to stay one when we settle down in Philadelphia. Dad, on the other hand, was relaxed, for he was offered a job in Philadelphia as an accountant and the job paid very well. He was ecstatic that he could give us all we needed and more. He even tried to convince Mom that she does not have to work anymore, but she declined, for she is a very hardworking woman and hates sitting at home, doing nothing.

Today, I decided it is time to go outside and breathe fresh air once again. I planned to take Sophia out to buy her ice cream. So, once I got her and myself all dressed up and ready, we were headed out to Flavor to Savor, her favorite ice cream shop.

Sophia and I loved wearing matching clothes. Whenever I saw an outfit in a shop, where many different sizes are available, I would buy it for us. Today, we were both wearing matching purple tank tops and black skinny jeans. Both our hair were tied in a high pony tail. Sophia looked so adorable, while I looked, well, me.

I parked my father's car in front of the shop and undid Sophia's seat belt.

"We're here!" I smiled at her as her eyes sparkled in excitement.

"I want Vanilla and Chocolate and Strawberry and Mango ice cream with rainbow sprinkles on top! I want it big!" I laughed at her adorableness. Her way of pronouncing words always made me crack up. She wasn't able to pronounce the letter 'R' yet, so instead of sprinkles, she said 'spwinkles', instead of ice cream, she said ice 'cweam', and instead of rainbow, she said 'wainbow.'

"Alright, calm down." I chuckled in amusement.

Once I was out of the car, I opened the door at Sophia's side and carried her out. I placed her down on the ground and then held her hand, guiding her towards the shop entrance. We heard the soft 'ding' of the bell as we entered. I smiled at Sophia and her cuteness. However, when I looked up, my smile was immediately wiped off my face.

Two of my bullies were ordering their ice cream: Marilyn and her boyfriend, Ron. I would zoom out of the shop in seconds if I were alone. However, I have Sophia with me and because of that; two things stopped me from running away. The first being the fact that I cannot stand the look of disappointment on my sister's face once she realizes she will not be having any ice cream today, and the second being the fact that she will be asking too many 'why' questions, and I will not be able to answer her. So, instead, I decided on ignoring their presence.

I stood in the line, waiting to have my order taken. When the couple was done ordering, they turned around only to see my face. My eyes widened when ugly smirks appeared on their faces. It was then that I realized the huge mistake I had made.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" Marilyn asked rhetorically. I refused to answer her and looked the other way, praying for the person in front of me to finish his order quickly.

"Ice cream isn't the right choice of food, now, is it? Don't you think you're fat enough?" Ron smirked evilly at me. Sophia looked up at me with a scowl on her face. I gave her a small smile to tell her that everything is okay.

"Let's go, babe. The girl can't talk." Marilyn dragged Ron away and I sighed in relief.

"Who are these people, Liz?" Sophia asked, frowning.

"They're just my friends, Soph." I smiled at her way.

"Excuse me, Miss? May I take your order, please?" a young woman asked me politely.

"Yes, please." I told her Sophia's order.

"Is that all?" she asked.

"Yes." She nodded before she went to grab my order.

"But friends don't call each other fat," Sophia pointed out, confused.

"They're just joking, even though it's a mean joke. Don't call any of your friends bad names. Okay, sweetie?" I smiled sadly at her. She nodded.

"That'll be $1.99," the waitress said. I gave her the cash and took Sophia's ice cream from her. Sophia smiled at the cold deliciousness within her tiny hands before her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at my empty hands.

"Are you not going to eat ice cream?" she asked.

"No, Soph. I'm not."

Would not want to get fatter, now, would I?