A Day (Vikkstar123/Sidemen Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

After looking around, she noticed that there was nowhere to sit, and resided to standing by the wall. She sat on her case and pulled out her phone. Unlocking it, she brought up Google Maps, and pasted her brother's address into the search bar. Since she was in central London, her phone had 4G, and the directions loaded almost immediately. From her location, she had to take three separate tubes to get within half an hour's walking distance of the house. Sophie groaned and memorised the directions before locking her phone and standing up, glancing at her watch. 11:26. No wonder she was so hungry, she hadn't eaten yet that day, and it was taking its toll. So, instead of heading straight to the house, she made her way back to the surface to find a coffee shop or something where she could grab some lunch.

She strolled through the streets, peeking in windows to gage how busy each shop was, each one being packed, with people standing waiting for tables to free up. After a while, she found a small internet café hidden between a pottery shop and a nightclub that had one table free at the back. Perfect, she thought, before pushing open the door and heading over to the counter. "Hi, do you serve lunch stuff here?" The girl at the till nodded, and handed her a menu. Sophie scrolled through it, noticing that the majority of the things on it she didn't like. Biting her lip, she stared at it, trying to decide between maple syrup pancakes or a chicken and bacon salad. Her stomach grumbled, and she looked up at the girl who was still stood there, waiting. She was trying to hide a grin, so she said "Sorry, I've not eaten yet today. I had to get up early to catch my train, and I only got here about half an hour ago." The girl let her smile loose, and chuckled, "I gathered from your accent that you weren't from around here. How about I get you a drink first, and then take your order when you sit down. I think we have a table at the back.." She trailed off as she scanned the room, "Yep, there's one left over there. So, what can I get you to drink then?" Sophie smiled, relieved that there was at least one nice person in London that she wasn't irritating. Yet. "I'll have a hot chocolate please, with cinnamon syrup if you've got it, and whipped cream." The girl, Milly, Sophie read her name tag, nodded and wrote it down on a notepad. "I'll add it to a tab for you, and bring it over when its ready." Then she turned and started pulling things together on the counter. Sophie grabbed her case and, as quietly as she could, weaved between the tables to the empty one. She pulled out the chair and practically collapsed onto it.

It was only then that she noticed how much her legs hurt from the constant walking. She had left the underground and the angry woman at around half eleven and it was almost one o'clock now. An aching pain had set into her knees, making it difficult to even move them without wincing. She spread her arms across the table and let her head rest on them, letting out a heavy sigh. She ignored the mutters of the people sat around her and lay there for a minute, contemplating her life. She was in her last year of university, studying one of the most highly renowned courses in the country, and her chances of employability upon leaving were incredibly high; still, Sophie couldn't help but wonder about what else she could have done with her life. She thought back to her younger years, when she had originally planned to study music, and smiled at how easy it had all seemed back then. Her whole future lay ahead of her and she could do whatever she wanted to do. Or so she had thought. Turns out her mother didn't think too highly of her daughter studying music, or any arts subject for that matter, even at GCSE level, and so she was forced into the world of science. It wasn't all bad though; Sophie loved science, most of all chemistry, and she had really enjoyed the last four years studying Pharmacology at Bath. It was a decision she would never regret making, no matter how lonely her life had become there.

Before moving to the other side of the country, Sophie had lived in a small town in the north east. Her entire life was situated in roughly 20 square miles, and she rarely ventured outside what she knew. She spent all of her school years in the same town, with the same people, and despite the advantages one might see in that, Sophie only ever thought about it as reliving her past mistakes, over and over. In reality, that was what she really wanted; to forget her past. Become a new person and just start over. She thought about changing her name at one point, but it would get confusing to the few people she did hang on to after she left, especially her brother. Moving away was supposed to give her that, a fresh start, but it didn't really work out that way. She hadn't made any close friends; the only person she spoke to on a regular basis was her lab partner. Occasionally, a few of her home friends would call or text her to ask how she was doing, but they all lived so far away, she never got a chance to meet up with them again. That and she spent literally all of her holidays with her brother, as neither of them had nowhere else to spend them. She hadn't met anybody special, like her old friends said she would; someone who would make her heart beat twice as fast just because they looked your way, and made your knees weak at the sound of them saying your name. She was still alone; but she was still alive. Suppose that counts for something, right? She asked herself. Before her brain could throw her into a spiral descent of all the reasons against that argument, a voice broke into her thoughts. ' One cinnamon hot chocolate with whipped cream, and damn girl it looks like you need it bad.' Sophie jumped and almost fell off her chair. Milly was stood next to her table about to break into a fit of laughter, trying her hardest not to drop the steaming cup of deliciousness in her hand. Sophie opened her mouth to explain, but instead a foreign noise emerged from her throat. She laughed; and once she had started she couldn't stop. Milly seemed to find her outburst even funnier and within seconds they were both in tears, wiping at their eyes to stop their eyeliner running. The hot chocolate Milly had been carrying was now sat on the table between them and Sophie found she didn't want to drink it anymore. She felt as if she had finally found a potential new friend. It was euphoric. Their laughter died down and after a few minutes of chatting, Milly stood up and said, 'Well, I think its time I actually did my job. What did you want to eat? I'd totally recommend the risotto, that's my favourite.' She winked and laughed again. Sophie picked up the menu from its stand on the centre of the table and scrolled through it, searching for the risotto. She must have missed it earlier. 'Butternut squash and-' she cut herself off. 'BUTTERNUT SQUASH IS EVERYTHING, OMG I WILL TAKE THAT.' Sophie exclaimed. More strange looks ensued from the other customers. Milly's smile brightened, 'I know, right?! Its amazing, you'll love it I promise.' She hurried off towards what Sophie assumed was the kitchen, and the room quietened again. From the corner of the room, she swore she could have heard a sigh of relief, but she didn't care. She had a friend; and a damn good cinnamon hot chocolate to go with it.