Seventeen is the age that decides who every young soul is destined to be with forever. Dating back to Neanderthals, humans have always felt this natural pull to the other half of their soul. Made to make sure that the human population is reproducing...
Thank you guys for being so patient with me. School & field hockey are slowly taking over my life. I literally wrote this chapter during one of my study halls haha ;P
Have you guys heard the new Normani song and seen her video? She's out there slaying. Definitely our generation's Beyonce type role model. It's honestly amazing. I would have it be the chapter song for this story but it's a little too happy. I actually might upload an SS update talking about that and the near Taylor update if anyone feels like hearing me rant about that more.
This chapter isn't as intense as some of the chapters I've been updating with, but the next chapter will likely be fairly fluffy depending on what I have happen. Oh, who am I kidding. It's going to be fluff.
How long do you think Seventeen is going to be? I'll tell you the actual answer next chapter, but I'm genuinely curious about your predictions. If someone gets the exact number plus the epilogue, I'll shout you out in the next chapter;)
Enjoy! & if you do make sure to vote + comment!
Disclaimer: I am in no way encouraging you or anyone else to skip school now or ever. This is just something that is happening in the plot of this book for reasons that may be explained below.
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K e e f e S e n c e n
I'm stressed out the moment I leave Sophie's house. Every molecule in my body screams at me to go back and be with her, especially in her state. She was well enough to joke around, but I want to be there for her.
With Grady, though, I know it's a bad idea, so I drive home and remind myself that it's worse for Sophie. I just need to focus on being there for her.
Naturally, after an awful night's sleep, I'm even more stressed out when I get to school the next day. It takes me a sleepy second to remember that I won't see her today, and my heart sinks a bit at the thought. Already, I've become so attached.
Mindlessly, I head over to my friends, who are in their usual spot about to pack up to head to class.
"Keefe!" Fitz greets when he sees me, slapping me on the back and grabbing my hand for a bro-shake. I oblige, not even bothering to put my usual smirk on my face.
"You certainly look tired," Linh observes quietly from where she is next to Tam. Her expression holds nothing but concern for me. Then it changes as she realizes and she covers her mouth with her hand, sucking in a small breath. "Is she okay?"
Everyone in the group stops their side conversation and looks at me, all with similar alarm etched on their faces.
I drop my bag on the ground and sit down, leaning back casually. "Maybe. We're still waiting to see. But she'll hopefully be back to school soon."
"Aww, are you worried about her?" Biana coos at me, getting a glare in response.
Tam – surprisingly – is the one to step up and defend me, although it's definitely for his own motives more than anything else. "Well, yeah, if my soulmate weren't okay and was missing school, I'd be worried about her too," he retorts, giving Biana a stern look. His expression is ruined the moment we all see a half smile at her.
"Did Bangs Boy just defend me?" I gasp, deciding to ruin the moment. It's to get my mind off Sophie over anything else, but I am shocked.
"Congratulations," Marella puts in rather sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
Behind her, I see Dex glance in our direction. We make direct eye contact for a moment, just reassessing each other across a distance. The short exchange tenses me up again, and my mind goes straight back to my soulmate.
Is it too weird to groan aloud?
My tired brain says yes, and I listen to it, feeling myself slump ever so slightly. I don't want to be here. I want to be talking to people that are named Sophie Foster, not anyone else.
The bell rings before anyone can comment, and we all pack up to leave to our classes. I just have to make it through the day, and I'll be fine.
💖
I don't make it through the day. I walk through my classes in a haze, to the point where even Fitz asks if I'm feeling okay.
When it's time for lunch, I just can't bring myself to go into a noisy cafeteria and laugh like everything's okay. Or pretend to be happy instead of tired, worried, and stressed out. I just can't do it any longer, so I ditch school.
I don't waste another second. I drive to Sophie's.
Yes, I know. Bad idea. Parents, school, everything. I'm interrupting her alone time. Maybe it's just me being the most selfish person ever, but everything in me needs to see her and make sure that she's okay. If she's keeled over and died, I'm never going to forgive myself.
The moment the thought crosses my mind, I push it away and chide myself for it. But the truth is, I'm scared. I'm scared for her, I'm scared for me, and I'm scared for the future.
When I'm around Sophie, everything fades to the background. My feelings, my thoughts of everything besides her, and everything in between. I focus on her only.
I genuinely don't mind that, either.
When I reach her house, I get out of the car pretty fast, locking it and checking my Hair quickly in the mirror before leaving it.
Every step takes too long. Walking is just a waste of time, even when doing something equivalent to speed walking. When I reach her doorbell, I press it without hesitation, letting out a breath.
