Wonderwall

Chapter 3 ~ Young and Beautiful

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful

Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul

I know you will, I know you will

I know that you will

Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful

~Lana Del Rey, Young And Beautiful

Sophie stood casually, in front of her closet, considering her clothing options. Already she wore dark blue jeans but couldn't decide on which shirt to wear. Finally she chose a sheer, collared tank top. She added a plain camisole under the peach coloured shirt. The  It was nothing special, after all she preferred to blend into the crowd, but it would suffice. Looking in the mirror she sighed at the angry red line etched across her face. She grabbed her bag as she heard a a car honk from outside her house. Her chocolate brown curls flew behind her in the wind as she raced to the car. Sophie settled down on the only available seat in the crowded vehicle. She slid her leather boot clad feet to the side so Tessa, seated in the middle, would have more room. Tessa shot her a grateful but didn't slide her leg away from Will. Sophie wondered if Tessa realized this.

Sophie leaned her head forward to speak to Jem, who was driving, and made sure he going to make a stop at a coffee shop on the way to school. She hadn't had enough time to brew her own coffee this morning and there was something else she needed to grab. Jem quickly nodded barely removing his attention from the road. He'd finally received his driving license a few months ago but had rarely risked driving in the treacherous winter weather. Now that much of the coldness had melted away Jem insisted on driving them all to school.

If Sophie had been able to bite her fingernails she would have. Unfortunately, her hands were occupied with the task of carrying her usual cup of coffee and a thin bag containing a scone. Her fumble yesterday with Gideon had ignited a stream of texts that night. She'd laughed at his complaints about his father's ever so posh friends and how they handled their money. A petting zoo for their child? Really?

Her first impression of him had been tainted by his family's reputation so Gideon was more down to earth than she had first imagined. The conversation had continued late into the night and had only come to an end when Sophie felt she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore without the assistance of coffee.

She was pleasantly surprised this morning, on the way to school, when she had checked her text messages. The lone message from Gideon had brightened her morning considerably Good morning, beautiful ;)

If the text had come from anyone else she would have thought it was only a ploy to ridicule her or a sarcastic insult but coming from Gideon it felt, well...genuine. And the feelings that he aroused in her was the purest form of emotion she'd felt in years. Which was exactly why she was so scared.

How did she know he wasn't going to hurt her? She didn't want to fall again for she feared that the scars from another fall would be much more damaging. The strong feelings she already felt for Gideon were enough to cause heartbreak and she didn't need another problem in her life. She knew she was already in too deep but better to cut the cord before she was drowning.

Gideon deserved someone better. Someone he wouldn't be ashamed of. He accepted her scar when it was just them but what if he grew distant when they were around others because she was unsightly.

In an offer of peace, she'd brought him a scone (goodness knows that boy loved them if he was going to buy a dozen) because he was surely going to dislike after she broke things off. Laying awake, last night in bed, she realized she just couldn't go to his house. What would Gideon's family think?