Healing Sophie

1

THE MORNING SUN flickered faintly through pink sheer curtains, teasing Sophie's pale, freckled face. Her nose crinkled up and she squeezed her eyes shut tight.

Somewhere in her room a creaking noise sounded. Her bedroom door opened ever so slightly, but she chose to ignore it. She just wanted to sleep.

As she tried to soldier on with her shuteye, her tiny frame began to shake gently. She opened an eye just enough to see her best friend Finn before shutting it and ignoring him. "Soph," he whispered. "We're going to be late for orientation."

Sophie let out a small whimper, moving to block out the annoying noise. Just as she began to drift back into a peaceful slumber, she felt something warm and wet on her cheek, causing her to shoot up onto her knees. "Finn! Why did you lick my face, you weirdo?" She lifted her shirt to wipe away the saliva, resulting in a low groan from Finn. Her eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, let's get ready to leave."

Sophie hopped out of bed and ran to her en-suite. Her father was always on work trips, so he let her have the master bedroom. It didn't make up for his absence, but at least it fit her abundance of clothing. Sophie stared at herself in the mirror and sighed. Her hands shook with nerves. Today was the last day in the home she grew up in. She would be starting college in a town a few hours away. What if people didn't like the small girl staring back at her? She had always been shy and spent more time with sheet music and instruments than she did with living beings. Even her own mother hadn't wanted to be around her. At least she had Finn, though.

Sophie and Finn had been best friends since the first grade when Finn beat up a boy that put red watermelon bubblegum in her hair. He was her loud, chaotic counterpart. His father was in the army, so he lived alone with his mother. Sophie spent more days than she could count with the two of them. It was the only place that ever fully felt like home.

A knock halted Sophie's thoughts, bringing her back to reality. "You better be getting ready in there," Finn called out. Sophie let out a squeal and quickly got ready. When she finished, she looked at herself with approval. She was adorned in a black, pleated skirt with a white crop top and a baby pink, off-the-shoulder cardigan. The look was completed with matching pink vans, some light makeup and giving her hair soft curls. She adored how warm and happy the color pink felt. It was a welcome contrast from all the darkness in the world. Sophie walked out of her bathroom to be met with Finn hanging his head off her bed in boredom. She rolled her eyes and walked over to him, poking him in the stomach and giggling. He grinned and hopped onto his feet, looking down at her. "Ready, Soph?"

She sighed and looked one last time at her sad, empty room.

"I'm ready."

Sophie's eyes widened in fear as Finn and her pulled up to Stonewall University. The place was huge, she had never seen so many giant buildings.

As if he could sense her nerves, Finn turned to Sophie and put a hand over hers. The action immediately calmed her nerves. "Hey, it'll be okay. We've got this." Sophie relaxed at his calming words and took in the view around her. It was late summer and the leaves were slowly turning orange and red. She loved fall. The changing of the world around her felt so peaceful and beautiful.

"Name?" After Finn and Sophie had parked and made their way to the quad, they were greeted by an older lady behind the orientation booth.

Sophie blushed at the attention and stuttered out shyly, "S-Sophie Hart." The lady smiled kindly at her and handed her a folder. "Here you go, hon. This is your class schedule, dorm information, meal card, and a map of campus. Let me know if you have any questions." Sophie gave the woman a soft smile and thanked her.