Chapter Text
“Oh man, I am so wired!” Sophie exclaims loudly to her best friend Bianca Vacker on the phone.
“Uhh more so than usual?” She responds with a heavy tone of sarcasm.
“Way more! I made a model of the Gala last night, complete with guests. I stayed up all night, and I’ve got the entire thing planned out. Every detail!”
“You didn’t sleep?! Sophie you really should have slept.”
Sophie stared into the mirror, her long blond hair had recently been cut into a long bob. She had dark circles under her brown eyes. When was the last time she had slept?
“I’m a freak aren’t I.” Temporarily forgetting that Biana was still on the phone.
“No. You’re just very……..focused.”
“Exactly!” Sophie responded with newfound confidence. “So what do you think of my mom’s red halter?”
“For your interview today? It’s a little slutty.” Biana had the greatest fashion sense in the world. It was one of the reasons they got along so well.
“Let me rephrase,” Sophie said “What do you think Tam’ll think of my mom’s red halter?”
“I think Tam has better taste than that.”
“Really? Huh, okay. See you in a minute.” Sophie hung up and began to redecide what she was going to wear that day.
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Keefe woke up the same he did every morning. Alarm blaring, clothes all over the floor, and half way off his make-shift bed. He quickly sat up as if he had been electrocuted, his blond hair spiking out in every direction. After getting ready for school, which didn’t take much time, he filled a bowl with cereal and opened the fridge.
“Shit”
“got milk?” He heard his dad talking with their neighbor Miss Ruewen over the fence. He had lived next to the Ruewen’s his whole life, in fact he and Sophie Ruewen used to be good friends. They grew apart during middle school and honestly, Keefe had never looked back.”
“Thanks a lot. You’re a lifesaver.” Why were they still talking?
“Dad, bring the milk home.” Keefe said to no one, willing his dad to drop the conversation and just bring the milk back. “Come on dad. Come onnnnnnn”
He didn’t have time for this, he had to get to school. Keefe opened the door and walked out to the blubbering adults, hoping to make this as fast as possible.
“Dad, can I take the milk off your hands?” He asked his dad as soon as he reached him. How on earth were they still talking??
“Good morning, Keefe.”
“Good morning, Miss Ruewen.” He responded as politely as he could.
“Mom, can I borrow your red halter, oh.” Sophie, still in her pajamas, had come outside to apparently ask her mom about borrowing a shirt. She didn’t seem very excited about Keefe’s recently noticed presence which was fine with him. He didn’t want to see her either.
“Would you look at them?” Her mom kept talking, completely obvious to the awkward situation. “Be away at college next year.”
“Time flies.” And now it seemed like his dad had gotten the memo. Great.“Seems like only yesterday they were practically living together in that old tree house.”
“Dad, milk!”
“Mom!”
Ms. Ruewen annoyingly continued, “Seriously, you two used to do everything together. What happened?”
Cue the awkward stare between Keefe and Sophie.
“Junior High Happened.” Sophie said
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Today was going to be different, Keefe could feel it in the air as he rode his bike to school. Not everyone could get picked up by their annoying and brain dead boyfriend, like Sophie. Every. Single. Morning. Keefe had more on his mind this morning than Tam Bangs Boy Song, today he and Fitz were finally going to make this hellious school pay. After he made sure the orange powder was still safely in his bag, Keefe kissed his amazing girlfriend Marella, and left in search of Fitz.
After finally finding him in the recording studio, it was time. They snuck into the schools’ mechanical room, (thanks to Keefe’s quick thinking in taping the door after the janitor left) and filled a pipe with the orange powder. Now all they had to do was wait.
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“Wake up, Foxfire High! Morning Linh.”
“Morning Dex. Our top story-- The Gala, only two months to go, and as the 100th anniversary of Foxfire High approaches, excitement mounts.”
“That’s right Linh. And here to take that excitement up a notch is a Foxfire special--A message from the Gala committee, Sophie Ruewen!”
Sophie suddenly appeared on screen, “Our Gala committee is the culmination of a weeklong series of events. It’s gonna be the greatest night of our lives. Something this big only comes along once every hundred years. We’re making the most of it so you can make the most of it!”
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“So where are we on the senior class gift?” Announced an annoying girl, come to think of it, Sophie couldn’t even remember her name. “Are we doing the sculpture idea?”
Honestly these meetings were so boring, Sophie found herself drifting off for the majority of the time. No one could ever agree on anything, and she would just end up making the decisions.
“Yes, it’s a good idea.” Said another boy that Sophie couldn’t remember.
“Sophie, how’s the rest of the budget looking?” Uggg it was that annoying girl again… Stina! That was her name! Sophie quickly snapped back into reality, and flipped the page in her notebook.
“$16,372 dollars---”
“Good.” Stina rudely interrupted her, “We’ll need it. Jensi and I are working on a deal for a jumbo screen.”
“It’s sick.” Jensi unnecessarily added.
“Are parents invited or only alumni?” This time it was Linh. Sohpie liked her well enough, she was quiet but managed to keep the group on task.
“Well, both. It’s tradition. Everyone’s invited.” Sophie responded.
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Keefe and Fitz climbed to the roof of the school. The perfect place to watch his masterful plan in action.
“Why are we doing this again?” Fitz clearly didn’t see the bigger picture.
“As a protest.” Keefe explained for the millionth time.
“Of what?” Was this guy serious?
“People, alright. Sheep.”
“Okay.. and what specifically about sheep do we object to?”
“General herding mentality.” Keefe leaned over the edge of the roof. “Yeah look at ‘em down there. Drink your mochaccinos. Sing along to Celine Dion. BbBbBaAaAaA.”
Just then the sprinklers came on, and Keefe’s smirk grew twice as big. Instead of spraying water, the students were getting pelted with an orange colored liquid. Naturally this caused a huge disruption. Keefe watched happily, and orange safe, from the roof. Laughing and pointing at the screaming students with Fitz.
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“Sprinklers.” Said Principal Alina. “You guys…. Sprinklers.”
“Us guys,” said Fitz
“You got it.”
“Sprinklers.” said Keefe, keeping the joke alive.
“Exactly.”
“Us guys.” Fitz repeated, putting on a pair of sunnies.
“That’s right.”
“Sprinklers.” said Keefe, man how long could they keep going?
“Suspension.” said Principal Alina.
“Come on,” replied Keefe, “Sprinkers! With orange water. If anything’s to blame, it’s school spirit.”
“He’s right!” said Fitz catching on, “School spirit. There’s your culprit.”
“You.” Said Principal Alina to Fitz, “Remove the shades, stand up. You to Keefe.”
“Me?” said Keefe is fake disbelievement.
“I need a comparison.” Principal Alina stood and looked at the boys. “I always forget. Are the pupils supposed to be smaller or bigger?”
“Well,” said Fitz, “That all depends.”
“Am I free to go?” Keefe interrupted with another smirk.
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Of course Keefe was suspended. It was worth it though. As he was walking down the hallway an arm suddenly grabbed him out of nowhere and pulled him into an empty class room.
Marella closed the door behind him and pushed him up against it. She leaned in and kissed him hard. Keefe wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against him, continuing the kiss.
“I think you really got through to them today. When the orange water hit the Gala committee table, I almost cried. I was laughing so hard.”
“But you never laugh.” Keefe responded confused and still trying to kiss her. If only she would just stop talking.
“Well it was on the inside.” Marella said before finally kissing him again.
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Sophie sat at an empty table in front of her favorite diner, Silveny’s Sweets. She was picking at a piece of mallomelt, it was usually her favorite but she wasn’t really in the mood today.
Surprisingly her amazing boyfriend, or soon to be boyfriend, Tam Song walked by.
“Hey, Tam.” She said as calmly as she could.
“Sophie, What’s up?” Tam was by far the most mysterious person at school, so naturally he was talked about the most. He had jet black hair and the tips of his bangs were silver. Most people would look stupid with that hair, but Tam looked amazing. “What are you doing?”
“I’m just, uh, waiting for my dad.” Sophie responded awkwardly. “Our monthly meeting. You know, to keep in touch. Every fourth Friday, 4 o’clock. At least that’s the plan.” Shit was she still talking?
“Oh, that’s cool. Uh, you were really good on TV today, talking about the Gala and all.”
“Thanks. Well, it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
“Hey, um, do you wanna go to, um--”
This was it! Tam Song was going to ask Sophie to be his date to the Gala! She leaned in eagerly.
“--down to shoe world with me?”
“Shoe world.” Sophie laughed but she could feel her heart drop. “Oh, um, I can’t. My dad. But he’s always late. You wanna help me finish this slice of mallowmelt?”
Tam reached over and took a bite. “I better not get in the way. I gotta pick up some new kicks for the game tonight.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll see you there.”
“You’re coming?” Sophie nodded in agreement. “Right on.” Tam laughed