Healing Sophie

6

After almost half an hour of trying to convince him to take Sophie to her first ever party, Finn finally caved and said yes on the condition that she would owe him a movie marathon of his choosing, no matter how boring she found them.

She was now sprawled out on her bedroom floor, the clothes that defeated her lying beside her, mocking her. What was one supposed to wear to a party?

Sophie thought about who she wanted to become. Who she wanted to grow into in this new chapter of her life. She wanted to be one hundred percent herself with zero shame. She wanted the self-confidence she had lacked her entire life thanks to the two people who were supposed to be instilling it into her growing mind. She wanted to prove to herself that she was more than just the shy, anxious girl who feared people and loud sounds and foods with gross texture.

She finally got up off the floor and stared at her closet with new determination. She was going to enter that party as the best version of herself. She sifted through her closet, before settling on something darker than her usual style. It protruded confidence. She had picked some black leather shorts, some fishnets underneath, thigh-high white socks with black stripes, black combat boots, and a pink crop top that said 'princess'. She completed the look with a thin black choker necklace, some dark makeup, and threw her hair up in a high ponytail after curling it. She looked in the mirror, satisfied with her work. She felt strong for once. Stronger than she ever had.

She began to skip down the stairs before remembering Chase's scolding, making her blush and switch to walking.

Finn was on the couch when Sophie entered the living room. She giggled and went to sneak up behind him, planning to scare him like he always did with her. "Don't you dare," he said without even looking up. She pouted and jumped on him, tackling him on the couch. His phone went flying to the floor.

Before he could interfere, she went to grab his phone for him. Her brows furrowed. "Finn, why are you stalking Theo's Instagram?"

He grunted and stole his phone back, putting it out of reach from her. "I don't know. Maybe I'm scared he's going to steal my best friend from me," he said, tickling her side. She giggled and pushed his hand away, trying to get more answers. Before she could press any further, Finn grabbed her and stood up, placing her on her feet. "You look really good, Soph." He eyed her from top to bottom with darkened eyes, making her blush. "Perhaps a little too good. Let's go."

Movies always depicted college parties as over-the-top gatherings where lawns are trashed, and mistakes are made. With lots of alcohol and loud music that could be heard for miles. In reality, though, they were so much worse. They left out the most awful parts. Like the smell of beer. Or the intense body heat emanating from random strangers in your personal space, brushing against you. Or the sickening pulse of bass. It was a sensory nightmare.

Despite the terror of being crammed in a room with so many people, Sophie was excited. It was her first college party. A time for her to put herself out there and make new friends.

Finn pulled Sophie through the house, refusing to release her hand until they were safely in the kitchen. The island was filled with every drink imaginable. "You want some water or some soda, Soph?", Finn asked, as he mixed himself some concoction of alcohol.

She crinkled her nose and said, "Water please."

"Yo, Finn! What's good?", someone yelled, coming up to Finn and patting him on the shoulder.

"Hey Darius, how's it going?" Finn grinned and did a classic bro shake. He turned to Sophie and said, "This is my best friend, Sophie. It's her first party."