Alright! As of Sep 1, 2021, all chapters have been edited

Alright, this is the day. What do I say? 'Hey Foster, ever since I've met you, I've been crushing on you. Actually wait- I'm in love with you.' That sounds terrible. This is Sophie Foster, she deserves the best. Does she want a cheesy line, or should I play it cool? But... what if she rejects me? She does like Fitz, so will she accept me? What do I do?

Keefe was pacing back and forth, panicking. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. It worked a little bit, but it was enough to clear his head.

You know what Foster does like? Honesty. I just have to tell her how I feel, nothing more, nothing less. Yeah, that sounds better.

He then made his way to Everglen, where a sleepover was to take place. 

"Hey Keefe!" Biana called out. "Took you long enough!"

"It's not my fault that I had to style the hair!" He replied.

She grinned. "Well, it's still terribly messy!" With that, she started running inside. 

"You did not just insult the hair!" He said, running after her.

It didn't take long for him to catch up, and then he tackled her. Everyone else was right nearby, laughing at the act. Everyone... except Tam. He seemed to be holding back a scowl. Keefe felt Biana freeze, and she pushed him off.

"Come on Bangs Boy," he teased.

"Lighten up a little bit! We all know that she's your girlfriend, no need to look so jealous."

Because really, Tam was outright scowling now. Everyone knew that he was close to the Vacker siblings, and that he was naturally affectionate. If this continued, it was going to end up being a problem.

But it seemed like Tam was thinking the same thing, as his face softened. "...sorry." it was barely a whisper, but he heard it.

"Hmm?" Keefe cupped his hand to his ear, smirking. "What was that?"

Irritation flashed through the raven's silver-blue eyes. "You heard what I said."

"What?" And just because he felt like it, he turned to Linh. "Did you hear him?"

The girl was giggling. "No, I heard nothing." Ignoring the offended look that her brother sent her, she continued. "Tam, may you please say that louder?"

"Sorry."

Everyone else made attempts to hide their laughter. Even Della walked in, an amused smile on her face.

"Dinner's ready."

He was kind of hungry, but he had a little bit of nausea from his nervousness. He needed a chance to conf-

"And there's mallowmelt."

Dinner was one thing, but mallowmelt was different. He rushed to the kitchen, eager to go get the dessert he knew would calm him down. He got there first, but Sophie was right behind him.

"You couldn't wait for the mallowmelt Foster?" He teased.

She laughed, her skin flushing slightly. "W- well I could say the same thing about you!"

He laughed along with her, before he realized that they were still alone. "Can I talk to you later?" He asked, his tone serious. 

"Sure! Fitz also wanted to do the same, so I'll talk to him first."

What would Fitz want?  

"This is important, please?" He begged.

"Is this about the Neverseen? Or the Black Swan?"

"No."

"Then I think it can wait. Fitz asked first, so I think it's fair that I speak to him first."

"How long will you two take?"

"What about this, five minutes," she offered. "I'll talk to him for five minutes."

For a moment, he wanted to yell. Deep down, he had a feeling as to what Fitz wanted. But she also had a point, and yelling would do more harm than good.

Keefe sighed. "Fine."

"What's going on here?" Fitz asked, as he entered the kitchen. 

"Nothing important, Wonderboy," he mumbled.

He loved Fitz, he really did care for his friend. But he didn't want to give up his chance to confess. 

"Oh no, not you too!" Fitz gasped, referring to the nickname that Dex had made up.

Keefe put on a fake smile, hoping that it would hide his irritation. The others came in shortly after, and they ate dinner quietly. Keefe was even quieter than usual, eating the mallowmelt but picking at the rest of his food.

"Are you alright?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He put up his signature smirk to be more convincing. "Why? You worried about me?"

Her face turned scarlet red, and his grin was slightly more real. 

"Of course I'm worried! Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged.

Keefe watched as Fitz turned to Sophie, and they stared into each other's eyes- as if transmitting. They both nodded and left the room. He sat there, waiting for time to pass.

Despite the deal being five minutes, he gave her two more. He didn't want to come off as impatient. When they still didn't come back, he got up.

"Where are you going?" Biana asked.

"Washroom," he answered, and walked in the direction that the duo went.

It wasn't too hard to find out where they went, since he was able to sense her emotions. It took him a while to navigate through Everglen, but he finally found it. He pressed his ear against the door, but there was no sound. Maybe a telepathic conversation?

What am I doing? If Foster found out I was trying to eavesdrop, she'd be angry.

He backed away slightly, feeling guilty.

Then the emotions changed, from worry to pure joy. What was happening in there?

Apparently, it was a good thing he had backed away. The door had opened and Fitz left, walking down a hallway. He didn't see Keefe.

He waited a few moments, waiting to see if his friend would come back. But when he didn't, Keefe knew he had to take the chance. He knocked on the door.

"Back already? That was fa- Keefe?"

"Yeah Foster, it's me."

"What are you doing here?"

"It's been about ten minutes, double the time you told me. My turn now."

"Okay," she breathed, and sat down. "What is it?"

Well, it's now or never. "Sophie... I like you. I have for a long time. I've admired your bravery, your kindness, your leadership. You've helped me through a lot. I really like you."

Somehow, throughout that, he'd managed to keep eye contact with her. She blinked, then smiled nervously, fiddling with her sleeves. "Keefe I-"

"Sorry Keefe," Fitz interrupted. "She's my girlfriend."

He stood there, complete and utterly speechless. And maybe it was the news, the slightly unapologetic tone of Fitz, the fact that he knew this would have happened, his nausea, and other reasons that led him to snap.

"Well you know what? I don't need you Fo- Sophie! Just know that if he ever breaks your heart, don't come crying to me!" His voice was high pitched, and broke by the end of it.

"Ke-"

He turned around and slammed the door shut behind him. He stomped down the stairs, thinking of a good spot to hide away. As he passed by a window, he remembered a place. It was outside, within the vast amount of land that Everglen claimed. There was a fountain, and near that was a tree. There were even fyie flowers nearby- flowers known for their soothing nature. 

Keefe ran there, and sat in his spot. There, he let his tears fall. His hands were shaking, his voice hoarse. 

"I hate this," he murmured. "I hate this so much. But... I could have stopped this from happening. I could have gathered the courage to confess sooner! But I was a coward, and now it's too late!"

"Are you okay Keefe?"