REMEMBER THE NAME

2019:39

"Milk and a sweetener" Sophie smiles before handing a cup of tea across to Cisca Norris - Lando's mum.

The Norris family had been kind enough to invite Sophie to stay with them for Christmas after hearing that she would be spending it alone.

Despite having a great big family, she didn't really have anywhere to turn to this year. Normally she would spend it with either her maternal grandparents or her mum, but this year her grandparents were off on a Christmas cruise of the Caribbean which was a gift from Sophie a couple of months prior. At the time she was happily snuggled up with Charles and had an ideal picture situation where she would spend Christmas in Monaco, with both the boy she loved and her mum, but after being stabbed in the back and the heart, that was not going ahead now. She still could've spent the time with her mum and Toto, but Monaco is a small place and knowing her luck she would likely bump in to Charles and the lovely Charlotte almost everyday, adding even more fuel to her heartbreak.

Staying with her dad at Christmas had never been an option for her. She done it once after he came back in to her life when she was about 11 years old, and it had been a really nice time up until the traditional family dinner when her paternal grandparents had shown up. They had never liked Sophie since before she was born, with their severe distaste for her mother following on to her. She spent the full time trying not to cry as they spoke ill of Susie before making derogatory comments towards Sophie, everywhere from her looks to her 'no hope for the future.' So ever since that day she vowed to never be in their presence ever again.

Her final option was to stay at the flat for Christmas with the newly single George, but that plan went out the window when she forgot that the Russell's usually have magnificent Christmas events that they all must attend.

Sophie had kept word of her lonely Christmas to herself, not wanting to bother anyone or have sympathy thrown at her, she was feeling shit enough without any salt being rubbed in the wound. But that all changed when her papa had been telling Cisca about their booked tripped, and the woman had done her own digging. Two days later she had phoned Sophie to tell her that she had no choice but to come to the Norris residence or else she would be getting kidnapped and dragged by all members of the family.

So there she was on Christmas Eve handing out the cups of tea to the girls of the family whilst the boys were in the kitchen preparing a range of snacks before they played a Christmas movie to all watch together.

"Thank you Sophie." Cisca smiles up, taking the mug from her, letting Sophie sit down on the opposing L- shaped sofa with both Lando's sisters next to her - Cisca and Flo.

"Give me back the popcorn you little shit!" Oliver - Lando's older brother - shouts from the kitchen, making all of the girls heads whip to the door, which Lando conveniently runs through whilst gripping on to two large bowls for dear life.

"Language!" Cisca shouts, glaring lightly at her sons.

"Yeah, language!" Lando continues to further wind him up which only makes Sophie laugh lightly, up until in true Lando fashion he trips and in doing so tips a whole bucket of popcorn on to Sophie and partially on to Flo.

"Oh you're a dead man." Savannah - Oliver's girlfriend - muses from next to Mama Norris, watching as Sophie turns to the dumbstruck boy with a hardened glare, as she slowly pulls the bowl off of her head, letting the last few bits of popcorn roll of and fall on to the couch.

"You better start running, because you don't waste popcorn without a good excuse." Sophie projects herself off of the couch and in doing so Lando's eyes fill with fear as he stands up and begins to run, which Sophie quickly follows leaving the room with an echo of laughter from the family.