"Calm down honey, it's nothing to be worried about." My mum smiles from the front seat, looking back at my incessantly tapping leg through the rearview mirror.
"I know mum, I've been to them before." I say, my hand coming to my mouth as I begin to chew on my nails, a nervous tick I had.
"Are you sure you're not even a little nervous? Your nails say differently." I roll my eyes, forcing my hand away from my mouth.
"No, why would I be? It's just going to be a normal banquet. Just the girls and their parents; nothing to it."
"Didn't you hear, it's not just your girls team this year. They figured it'd be cheaper to combine two banquets." My head snaps up as I process this slowly. Another team? She must just mean another girls' team. Maybe the one from the public school?
"Okay, so our team and another girls' team. No big deal."
She gives a small chuckle before answering. "No sweetie. The boys' team. You remember, the one you played a few days ago?"
No. No please god no. Not that team. Not stupid boys in stupid dress ties. Judgmental girls in dresses? I could handle that, no problem. But good-looking boys in nice clothes? That was a whole different story. Especially since one of those boys would be Luke. I can feel the colour drain from my face. What did I do in a past life to deserve such bad luck?
The only thing that I'm comforted by is that if his last name is the same as his cousin's, he'll be far away from me. Anderson and Hemmings aren't even close. Not at all. Not even a little bit.
"Sophie, are you sure you're okay?" my mum asks, glancing over at me from the driver's seat. "You're white as a sheet. Do you want to just go home? I'm sure they'll understand.
I swallow a lump in my throat before answering in a tiny, squeaky voice. "Yeah Mum, I'm fine." But really, I was far, far away from fine. I was completely shaken up by this.
Luke made me feel awkward, and uncomfortable, and I felt like my words got mixed up around him. I didn't like to be around him. At camp I had become painfully aware of the fact that he was the type of guy who used a girl and then dumped them, and I could tell that I interested him. I knew it from the moment he had first gotten me alone at camp.
"Come on Sophie" He had said, with that stupid pretty smile of his. "Just give me a kiss. Just one little kiss."
I had glared daggers at him, not appreciating how he was acting. It wasn't like I wouldn't have loved to snog his face off the first day I met him. It was impossible to not admit that this boy was hot as hell. But I had come to find out, even after only a week that he was a complete ass.
"Luke, no." I repeated for the fourth time, giving his chest a sharp push. He had stumbled back a few paces before quickly recovering and stepping back foreword to where he had me up against a wall.
"Fine, you don't want to? Whatever." He had said, biting that stupid lip ring of his. That stupid lipring that I was sure would feel like heaven on my lips. His eyes wandered down to mine and his tongue poked out, licking his lips. He had leaned in closer to me, his hot breath hitting my ear as he whispered the next part.
"But I promise you'll wish you hadn't said that."
*~*~*
"Sophie?"
I snap out of my memories, back to present day where my mum and I were currently sitting in the car, which was parked outside of the large banquet hall.
"Are you sure you're okay? You've just been blankly staring for a solid minute."
"Yeah mum, I'm fine. Just a little nervous." She smiles sympathetically as I climb out of the car.
