Fifteen

Chapter 39: Juicy

Sophia Kate watched as Caleb stormed off. This is going to be one heck of a week. She thought as she headed towards Gracia. "Give him time to cool off." She instructed handing her a drink. "He's an idiot." Gracia scowled. "Most boys are." Sophia Kate muttered taking a swig of her drink.

"Is your boyfriend an idiot?" The question made her choke on the mixture of Vodka and Sprite. "Boyfriend?" She finally got out. "I don't have a boyfriend." There was a look on Gracia's face, but it was gone before she could read it. "I figured you did." Gracia sighed. "You talk in your sleep. You said something about loving Trey and I assumed."

The feeling of sadness washed over Sophia Kate immediately. Everything had been so hectic and busy that she hadn't allowed herself to think about Trey and how she left things. Apparently, I'm working it out in my sleep. Sophia Kate looked down at her cup and sighed. "No," she began. "Trey is my best friend back home in Sadler. We grew up together and I think on some level everyone expects us to end up together."

Gracia gave her a prying glance. "But..." Sophia Kate didn't know how to present everything so she blurted it all out. She filled Gracia in on the feelings or lack thereof when they kissed. How she spent the remainder of her time in Sadler trying to muster some kind of emotion outside of friendship.

"So, you didn't feel anything?" Gracia asked in shock. "Nothing. It was like kissing my brother if I had one." Gracia looked her over. "Have you kissed anyone else to compare it to?" The only other guy she had kissed was Bryant Torres in the sixth grade and it was awful and wet. "I'll take your silence as a no." Gracia chuckled.

"There was one boy, but it was a disaster." Gracia squared her shoulders in front of her. "Kiss me." The expression on Sophia Kate's face must have told Gracia she was crazy, but she laughed it off. "Seriously. The issue may not be with Trey, but with you. If you feel anything then at least you can rule out whether you're defective."

This is insane! I can't kiss her. I can't kiss a girl. The thoughts were running rampant, but Gracia just looked her in the eyes. "Stop over thinking. This is no big deal. It's an experiment." Gracia knew what she was doing. She was not so subtly trying to test the waters with Sophia Kate and it looked like she was going to take the bait.

Gracia had wanted to know what it felt like to kiss her since she laid eyes on her and if they were going to kiss, even if just for experimental purposes, she needed it to be a good one.

Sophia Kate supposed it couldn't hurt. After all, all her friends had practiced kissing when they were younger. It would be just like that. She seemed to think on it. "I can't," Sophia Kate sighed eventually.

"I know it's not me. And even if it were, I couldn't kiss you." The words were like a jab, but Gracia composed herself. "Don't say I never tried to help," Gracia forced a smile and headed to a nearby table for a snack.

Tyler and Olivia were headed back to their dorm rooms. The foam party was fun, but everyone was well aware that classes started in the morning and wanted to make the best impression. "I had fun tonight," Olivia smiled as he walked her to her door.

"I did too. I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be a different kind of fun though," he chuckled not sure what to do. They stood there together in awkward silence for a bit. "Well, goodnight," she said with the quickest kiss to his cheek. Before it could register the door was slammed behind her.

She's so much like Heather. He smiled as he headed down the stairs. Her shyness would probably aggravate any other guy, but Tyler found it sweet and endearing.

Olivia was different. She was special and worth taking all the time in the world to know. If nothing came of it, he was sure he'd gain a lifelong friend.

"You what?" Faye asked shocked. "I kissed him on the cheek." Olivia was trying to play it cool but internally the alarms were firing. "Liv, this is a big deal!" She shook her head as got ready to shower. "Not really." Faye eyed her sister knowingly. "Are you playing it cool so you don't freak out?" "Uh huh," Olivia responded heading for the showers.

She was surprised to see Daisy, Elsa and Brooke on the other side of the door. "Hey guys," Daisy smiled walking passed her. "We need our phones." Faye pointed to the coffee table in the middle of their lounging area. "Those are all the phones I have left. I'm not sure who is who."

They each grabbed their own phones as Olivia made her way to the co-ed bathrooms. "Today was insane," Brooke sighed falling onto the loveseat at the center of the room. "This school is insane." Elsa corrected. Faye hooked her camera up to the hanging flat screen.

The television showcased a slideshow of all the photos she had taken so far. The girls seemed mesmerized with her angles and ability to capture things easily unseen. A picture of Aria looking up at Stefan flashed on the screen and Brooke cheered. "Pause it!" Faye selected the photo and they each took a moment to look at it.

"Stefan looks happy," Elsa observed with a smile. If anyone deserved it should be him. She knew everything he had gone through and still dealt with as a result of his family and background. She was sure that Stefan pursing something with Aria would continue to make him happy, which in turn made her happy.

"They look like the cutest couple," Brooke yawned leaning back on the loveseat. "They do, but judging by Caleb's glare don't know how long it'll last." Daisy observed before reaching for Brooke. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty." Elsa walked over to the television. "O my goodness, that is Caleb." She pointed at the brooding Caleb on screen.

"I'm Team Stefan," Brooke yawned heading towards the door. "Me too," Elsa smiled. "Goodnight y'all," Faye called out. "I'm Team Aria," Daisy said opening the door. "Team what?" Aria stood in the doorway. "Long story short, have fun and do you!" And with that Elsa, Daisy and Brooke said their goodbyes.

"Where were you?" Faye asked as she headed to her room. "I went for a walk with Stefan." The smile was evident, but Faye didn't pry. Aria sighed before noticing the gift bag hanging from her bedroom door. "What's this?" She asked opening it up. Faye smiled knowingly.

Quincy wanted Aria to live in the 21st century, so as a going away gift he got her an iPhone. "I can't believe he did this," Aria smiled reading the post-it note on the phone.

Aria, don't argue or try to fuss. All the important numbers are in your Contacts, so do me a favor and just add hot boys. Love you, Q.

"I'm going to call my Mom," Aria said heading out. She didn't know how much she missed her mom until she heard her voice. It was very late, but she filled her in on the PG events of the weekend and laughed as her mom filled her in on the neighborhood stories.

She was so lost in conversation that she had lost track of time or where she was. Aria realized she had walked to the other side of campus as she got off the phone. Great! She thought looking around.

The campus was well lit, so she wasn't too afraid, but it was still after midnight and she was alone and in lingerie barely covered by a satin robe. She started the trek back to her room and had to think about the events of the past two nights. Aria couldn't believe everything that had happened.

She was looking forward to school starting and practicing with the company. But she was also looking forward to what was in store for her and Stefan. And Caleb. She shook her head at the thought.