Last Summer 🔪Scream 1996

Ch. 17: Pinky Promise

I wake to the sound of my door flying open, hitting the wall as my cousin storms in. I look up with a glare as she starts to pace around the room, rubbing her hands together in worry. I sit up completely, looking up at her as she continues to create a hole in the floor.

"Good morning to you too..."

She stops, looking back at me with worried eyes. She exhales before walking over and crawling into my bed, pulling the covers up to her chest as she exhales. I roll over, laying on my side as I face her.

"What's wrong?"

She exhales again as she fiddles with the blanket, staring up at the flowers on my ceiling. Tears form in her eyes as her jaw tightens, causing me to reach out and grab her hand.

"Hey..."

She looks at me as a tear slips away, rolling down onto my bed sheets. I grip her hand in comfort as I wait for her to decide what she needs. She wipes her eyes before looking back up at the ceiling, exhaling again as she tries to calm down.

"I did something bad..."

"What?"

"Before I left Texas...my mom found my stash...it sparked an argument that ended with me packing everything and leaving early. I didn't even say goodbye..."

"That's not that bad..."

"I said things that night....bad...awful...terrible things that I hope to never hear from anyone I care about..." she wipes her eyes again as she keeps her eyes on the ceiling. "She sacrificed a lot for me...more than she would care to say...and I treat her like that..."

I struggle to find what she needs to hear, causing me to feel even worse than before. I scoot closer, intertwining our fingers as she sniffles. My chin rests on her shoulder as I watch her with empathetic eyes.

"She's probably already over it..."

Sophia scoffs as she rolls her eyes a little, fiddling with our connected hands.

"Please...we're talking about the same woman who didn't speak to her sister for over ten years because she didn't approve of her choice in men..."

"She was kinda right...my dad wasn't the greatest..."

I try to lighten the mood as more tears form in her eyes. My brows furrow as study her expression, confused and worried at the same time.

"What is it?"

"There's something else..."

I can tell by her body language that the something else is weighing her down. I squeeze her hand as I give her a comforting smile.

"Whatever it is...I won't judge...you can tell me anything, I promise..."

"Really?"

Her eyes meet mine as I give her another comforting look. I untangled our fingers before interlocking my pinky with her own. She looks at them before looking back up at my smile, a small smile forming on her face.

"I pinky promise...I even cross my heart and hope to die, okay?"

She laughs before looking back up at the ceiling, the serious look returning. I sit up, waiting for her to continue as I intertwine our fingers again. A tear slips through again before she even speaks, causing my chest to contract in empathy.

"Wh-when she found my stash...I was having a sleepover with my friend, Aisha...we were..."

I watch her as she takes a breath, preparing for what she's about to say. I squeeze her hand in comfort, letting her know that everything is okay. She continues as she sniffles a little, looking up at the rose painting on the ceiling.

"Wh-when she found it, she stormed into my room. Aisha and I were in a...compromising position. It only made everything worse. She was yelling and screaming...Aisha ran out...uhm...a-and my mom said some things..."

Silence fills the room as she lets the information sink in. Anxiety and worry drip off her as she stares up at the ceiling, not wanting to feel rejected. I squeeze her hand as I draw her attention towards me, smiling softly as I look her in the eyes.

"Soph...do you like girls?"

"I-I don't know...I-I really liked Aisha..."

"Have you talked to her since?"

"She won't return my calls..."

I lay back down, cuddling up to her as more tears form in her eyes. She relaxes against me as I start to rub her arms in a soothing motion as she lets the tears flow. I hum a song we used to sing all the time when we were younger, letting her use me for comfort. When she calms down, wiping her tears as she exhales.

"No matter what...if your mom hates you, which I don't think she does..." I smile as she looks at me, letting me speak. "Or if anything else comes along...I promise to always be there for you...even if it kills me..."

She smiles as she squeezes my hand before bringing me into an awkward laying down hug. I hug her back as she sighs, rubbing my back a little. I smile as I sigh, squeezing her as we lay there.

"I love you, Smiles..."

"Love you too, Kid..."

I squeeze her one last time before hoping up, smiling at her as I stand. She looks at me in confusion as I walk over towards window, opening the drapes and letting the sunshine in.

"Now...let's not have a bad day...I want a good one..." she raises an eyebrow at me as I continue to speak. "So...get up and go shower, put on a cute outfit, and go to Milly's for breakfast."

"Can we both wear red?"

I look at her in confused amusement as I shake my head a little.

"What's your obsession with matching outfits?"

"I don't know..."

She shrugs as I laugh a little, walking over to my closet and looking around. She follows me, looking around before finding a red tank top. She smiles as she turns to me, holding it up.

"I have the exact same one! We should wear it!"

I nod before walking over to my rack of jeans and overalls. I turn back around to see her gone, my red tank sitting on my dresser. I shake my head as I laugh softly, grabbing everything I need to get ready.

🔪🗡

A/N

Just so everyone knows...

I'm getting a lot of my inspiration for Sophia and Christina's relationship from the Owen sister's in Practical Magic.

If you haven't watched it, watch it. I love it.

Anyways....

Drink water!!!!!

Love
-the Author