These Feelings Inside (How Deep Do They Go)

Chapter 10- Look At Me

Word count: ~3.0k words

Back at it with another chapter!!

Warnings: Panicking (panic attack kinda), swearing

"Sophie, can we talk for a bit?" Edaline asked.

Grady was standing beside her, so she figured it was important. Keefe and Fitz seemed to have the shop under control.

"What's up?" she asked.

Edaline and Grady shared a look. "Not here. In our room."

Well, that was a little weird. It wasn't that often that she went in their room, she liked giving them privacy and they were rarely in their room in the first place.

Sophie walked with them there. It was a light, airy room, decorated a little bit but what always grabbed Sophie's attention were the picture frames. The ones of Jolie, especially, as pictures of Jolie weren't found anywhere else around the house.

"We need to talk about Keefe," Grady said.

Sophie turned to him. "What? Is something wrong?"

Grady just looked at her, Edaline too, though her gaze was more sympathetic.

"Sophie, we're happy to have Keefe here and all, and we've refrained from asking too many questions, but don't you think things are a little strange?" Edaline asked.

"No government ID, they haven't been able to even give me a last name, and they're just relying on your name for income. You know they can't rely on you for everything, right?" Grady continued.

...I think I rely on them more than they do me.

"Are you kicking them out?" Sophie blurted out, feeling dread build up.

"No," Edaline said, while Grady said "Not yet."

"Seriously, kiddo," Grady said, "it couldn't have been that long since you've known them, otherwise you would've told us about your 'online friend'. The lack of last name, that's what gets me. How could you know that they're what they say they are?"

"I know their situation, I've seen it," Sophie murmured.

"You've also seemed more stressed since their arrival," Edaline added.

Sophie felt bad, because she was right, but somehow, the more time that passed, the less she felt like blaming Keefe, even though it was very much their fault.

"We're worried for you, and the toll everything will have on your heart. You've been looking more blue lately."

Sophie blinked, getting the basic idea, but she was so confused at the weird way they were going about saying it. "I'll be fine," she said.

She truly hoped that the more she said it, the more she'd grow to believe it.

"We're still housing them," Grady said, "and even if we did kick them out, we wouldn't leave them with nothing. But you come first, remember that."

Sophie nodded.

•~•~•~•~•~•

"So... you want to go on a date?" Fitz asked. "Later today?"

"Sure," she agreed. A date with Fitz! She wanted to do a little dance, even though it'd been a few days since she officially became Fitz Vacker's girlfriend.

"We could go watch a movie."

"But if Foster leaves, what am I supposed to do?" Keefe said, appearing out of nowhere.