24 | 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐈𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞

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Sophia's POV

I was lying down on my bed, my clothes from today still on. I looked over at the clock on my nightstand - 8 pm. When Grayson dropped me off here, I was met with my mother in the kitchen, my father came home a few minutes after.

"Did you eat?" my mom had asked me. I shook my head and she told me that there were leftovers in the fridge, then went upstairs. After I ate, I also went to my bedroom, I was pretty tired from all that happened.

I thought about what Grayson said when I told him how sorry I was for his loss. "Yeah, me too," came his curt reply. I gave him a look, telling him he could talk to me, I wasn't planning on sharing his secrets, ever.

"She was infuriating, very clingy," he laughed, but then frowned and shook his head. "However, now that she's not here anymore, I feel...almost alone. Though I know I'm not. We weren't even friends to begin with." He was staring into the direction of the burning sun.

I didn't know what it's like to lose someone, but I somehow completely understood and knew what he meant. "How long have you known her for?" I asked him curiously. Plus, talking about it is always the best solution.

"A few years, about five." I raised my brows. A 'friend' of five years he just lost...

"We were in the same school ever since high school, and even one year before that," he embellished, finally making eye contact with me.

This continued for a few minutes, only when I couldn't handle the tension in the air anymore. It wasn't an awkward or cold tension, instead it felt like a tempting lure to each other. His eyes lingered on my face a while longer, until I got a message from my mom that read the following.

Mom: Dinner is ready and it's getting close to dark, so be on your way home. Hope you had fun!

We were in his car and I went to press the radio button impulsively, but stopped and looked at him as if asking permission. He nodded and a song began playing. The moment he took me to his secret escape place it had brought us closer, emotionally. I still didn't know what we were exactly, but there was something.

I let my head fall back and closed my eyes, letting the wind blow through my hair as I was now fully relaxed and not nervous around him anymore, for today at least.

My head was almost engulfed by the plush cushion. I sighed, replaying every second I shared with him in my mind, but then suddenly remembered Liv's gift!

I flipped myself over on my belly, reaching under my mattress for an item that could be the present she got me. When I felt an object - it was light and thin - I pulled it out and examined it.

"A necklace!" I whispered to myself. It was beautiful. A word necklace - a silver chain with the words 'Te quiero' hanging from it.

I sent Liv a text, telling her how much I love it and that I'd be wearing it tomorrow, which I am.

~

Today I chose to wear a grey, comfy crop-sweater with a plaid skirt, colour-matching it. As I promised Liv, I took the lovely necklace from my nightstand and placed it around my neck. I took a look in the mirror and nodded, satisfied with how I looked.

It's Friday, almost weekend again, I thought to myself, fairly happy about it as well. I grabbed my bag from the floor and skipped down the stairs, snatching the apple my father was just about to take a bite of.

"Hey!" he said, pining for the apple which was now in my hand.

"Love you, Mom!" I spoke while running toward the front door. "You too, Dad!" I smiled back innocently and closed the door behind me before he could intervene.

-

I arrived in the parking lot and threw the rests of the apple in a garbage bag there. I saw Natalie and Leslie standing at the double doors, maybe waiting for someone. I walked over and greeted them excitedly.

"Hey," Leslie laughed. "Why're you all hyper today?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's morning, Sophia," Natalie grumbled, clearly in a mood as she leaned her head against one of the walls.

I beamed at them. "Friday, last day of the school-week," was my answer, and I saw Natalie give me a half-heartedly nod, agreeing with me.

"Okay yeah, fair point," said Leslie. "Come on, I don't think they'll get here soon."

"Probably not," replied Natalie. I assumed they were speaking about not waiting any longer for their other friends to come.

We were inside the building and stopped at each other's lockers, but I was all set, so no need for that. I had science right now, and if I must be honest, I didn't quite find it the worst class that could be given at school. I mean, I didn't enjoy it as much as History, that's for sure, but I didn't hate it, like most kids do.

Or maybe your parents told you all these things you can do with science later in your life, they maybe made you think that you'd like it, so now you feel like you do, but you actually don't, my subconscious reasoned with me. And I couldn't immediately disagree.

I mean, it's not the first time they 'brainwashed' me - as Liv once called it. They've made me believe that I like or dislike certain things in my life before. They make my own decisions for me and it's like they think for me, too. I, for example, now that I think about it, never chose my own elective courses this or any year...

Okay, what am I thinking about, I need to focus. I shook my head in disapproval and looked in front of me, listening to the teacher's heels entering the room.

-

After fifty minutes or so, class was finished. Only six more to go, I thought. French was my second. I stood up and went in the direction of my class.

"Hey, Princess," I heard someone say from behind me. I turned around and was met with the one and only Logan. He was also the only person who called me that. He rested his arm over my shoulder, as he always did, and grinned down at me.

"Hi," my soft voice responded with.

"You have French now, right?" he abruptly asked. I raised my brows but nodded anyway.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He appeared a bit nervous all of a sudden, which was odd. Logan is never nervous, certainly not around me.

"I just remembered from when you first showed me it," he answered after a while, as if he had to think about it. Oh. But the last time I showed it to him was on my first week here-

"That reminds me," he said, changing the topic and breaking me out of my thoughts. "Didn't you when we first met say your birthday was in a few days?" Now it was my turn to grow a little brittle.

"Oh, um, yeah..." I said, my tone becoming even more silent than before. He looked down at me suspiciously, trying to see if I was lying. "Well, uh...my birthday already passed."

"Wait what?" he asked, wanting me to repeat myself. "When? And why didn't you tell me anything? We could've celebrated." Really? He'd want to celebrate my birthday with me?

"It was only yesterday!" I mumbled hastily, hoping he wouldn't get too angry with me.

"So?" he chuckled. "Don't you like your birthday or what?" he questioned, his tone full of amiability.

"No, I do - it's my favourite day of the year - but the timing wasn't right, I guess." He only frowned, not understanding what I meant. "It was a few days after Josephine's...you know," I muttered, looking down.

"Sophia," he drawled out. "So? That doesn't mean you aren't allowed to enjoy your birthday," he said, giving me a side-hug. It made me feel a whole lot better.

"Yeah, I know, but it felt wrong to be partying at a time like this." He shook his head in objection but didn't open his mouth.

There was no one I personally knew in my French class, so after I parted my ways with Logan and set foot in the classroom, I sat down in my usual seat, putting my binder on the desk. I was rather elated about having French at the moment, I was, not to sound arrogant, good at this language. Sometimes me and my father had dialogues in French with each other at home, just because it was fun or to practice.

As the teacher strolled into the room, most students quieted down. I opened the binder and was surprised when a little, pink post-it note was pasted onto the opening page. What's this doing here? I don't use post-its. Though I did like the colour, as pink was my most preferred one.

I ripped it off and distinguish the handwriting and wondered from where have I seen this before? I couldn't think back enough to reminiscence it, so I started reading it instead. I dropped it right after.

Bad things will happen to you if you don't do what you're told.

A/N: Short chapter, I know. Sorry for the late update as well.