flecks of gold like sunshine | KOTLC

Wall | Sophie

A/N: I mention in this chapter that Keefe has green eyes, but remember, he's wearing contacts.

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Math is a snooze-fest. I doodle in the top-right hand corner of my worksheet until the teacher raps her knuckles sharply on my desk. "It would do you well to listen, Miss Foster," she hisses, before returning her attention to the equation on the board that seemed to be the most interesting thing in the world. To her at least. To me it was a scrawl of numbers. 

I sigh. Then I silently pump my fist into the air when the bell rings. Hell is over!

I dash out of the classroom as fast as humanely possible, making a beeline for the cafeteria. But I screech to a halt when I see a recognisable figure standing in front of me, blocking the way.

Stina has a sneer plastered onto her ugly face. (Okay, I mean, she's pretty, but it's not like I'm going to admit that, and I'd much rather imagine her looking like a toad.) "Going somewhere, Sophie?"

"Um, lunch. Duh." I'm not sure if I'm going to regret being so confident.

Stina's face breaks into a scowl. "You're going to regret talking to me like that, Special Sophieflake." I grimace. I hate that nickname. 

Without warning, Stina grabs a fistful of my blouse in her large hands and the next thing I know, my back is against the nearest locker. As she pushes me up, I feel my feet leave the floor and I dangle there hopelessly, kicking and flailing to no avail. My heart is pounding and my hands are clammy with cold sweat.

"BRONTE'S COMING!" I yell - my last resort. I've been saving this trick for forever. And honestly, I'm kind of hyped to use it.

Stina whips her head around, releasing me, and I clatter to the floor in a heap. Not even thinking for a moment, I speed away from her while she's in her panicked state, away from the cafeteria.

Oh man, that look on her face is priceless.

I run for a few seconds, elated with my magnificent escape before I crash into a wall.

Wait, that's not a wall. A wall doesn't topple back.

Oh. 

It's a boy. He looks about a year older than me, and he has a smirk on his face. His green eyes search me curiously, and for no reason at all - and quite unlike my usual behaviour, I assure you - I blush, cringing away from him.

"In a hurry to get somewhere?" he asks, raising his eyebrow at me. I only feel my cheeks redden even more. I look into his eyes and they have orange flecks in them, which disappoint me. They're not golden. But nonetheless, he's cute. I bet all my nickels that half the girls in school have a crush on him.

"Um," I say lamely, stunned by his looks and trying not to focus on his artfully styled mess of blonde hair that frames his angled face so perfectly. So, I look at my sneakers. "Stina - She was -"

The boy waves his hand, as if Stina is nothing. "Stina? You let that stuck-up, good for nothing brat bully you around? Don't worry, I'll make sure to have a word with her." Then he winks and adds, "She can't resist me, you know. Not with such a good-looking face, am I right? Or are you immune to my charms?"

Yeah, this guy is full of himself.

Still, my face doesn't listen to my brain and heats up. I think I'm allergic to cute boys, because clearly, my brain can't function around them.

"Uh, Sophie Foster!" I say, though I'm pretty sure he at no point asked me for my name. 

He chuckes. "Keefe Sencen, also known as the good-looking guy that you probably dream about every night. And don't forget hottest troublemaker in school!" He thinks for a while. "I guess you could also consider me best friend of Fitz Vacker, famous -" He breaks down in a fit of laughter, doubling-over, and I think maybe he's crazy or escaped from an asylum.

"- famous - underwear - model -"

Keefe straightens himself up after a while, wiping tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry, but that gets me every time. Like, why would you want to have someone come up to you and be like, 'Oh hey, you're that famous underwear model!'" He snickers, and I laugh.

This guy's getting to me. But he's decidedly not my soulmate, and there's no reason for me to get attached to him. Plus, there are plenty of girls chasing after him, and the last thing I'd want to do is get caught up in a love triangle. Like he'd want to be my boyfriend anyway.

"Well," Keefe says, saluting me playfully, "it's time I get going. See you around, Foster." He winks,  then walks away, leaving me dumbfounded.

A cute boy just remembered my name.

If only he was my soulmate.