not another story about love...

chapter 1

Sophia's POV

i reach over, turning off my alarm clock resting on my bedside table and slowly sitting up. i look around my chaotic room, which i had torn apart last night, looking for an assignment that half of my math grade depended on. i had found it, underneath the pile of books i am either in the process of reading or want to read eventually. i sigh, then stand up, stretching and yawning, changing out of my red flannel pajama pants and loose t-shirt i was given by Simon, into my regular set of clothing, stuffing anything i might need into my backpack and zipping it shut, then i walk into the kitchen, setting the backpack on the counter and making myself a bowl of frosted flakes, standing up next to my backpack to eat them.

Simon's POV

i hear that really annoying noise that Sophia's alarm clock makes, then sit up in bed, tousling my hair with my hand and yawning. i get up, pulling off the pair of sweatpants i had worn the previous day and had fallen asleep in, pulling on my regular outfit, i look over at my row of boots, lined up neatly against the wall. i walk over to the row, picking up a pair of tan workboots, the kind used by construction crews, pulling them on and tying the laces, i pick up my backpack, look around to make sure i don't need anything else, then put it on, cramming a few extra pencils in my pocket for good measure and walking downstairs, into the kitchen, setting my backpack across from Soph's and turning to make my normal morning cup of coffee.

Sophia's POV

i stick my bowl in the sink and lean against the counter right as Simon comes down the stairs. i pull "The Lovely Bones" out of my backpack, flipping to where i last was right before he enters the kitchen. "good morning Simon!", i greet him as usual, receiving only a grunt in reply as he sets his backpack down and turns to make his coffee. i ignore his bad mood and continue to read.

Simon's POV

*jeeze, why is she always in such a good mood?!* i think this as i pour milk into my coffee, then stir, turning to the counter and leaning against it, cradling the white ceramic mug in my hands and slowly sipping it, staring out the window. i jump as Soph suddenly says something. "you know, we've lived inside our own slice of normal for a while now." i nod, finishing my coffee and setting the mug in the sink, right next to the bowl she used for her cereal. "well, I was thinking... what if we go visit her?" i freeze up, placing my hands on the sink for support, as my knees threaten to crash out from under me, just as our world came crashing down around us a year ago, today.

~~flashback~~
we stand together in the principal's office, thinking we have done something wrong, sweating and shifting, slowly watching and observing those around us, looking for signs that would betray their calm demeanor. the principal comes out of his office, then we look up at his face, and we see something surprising there. he's crying. And no, not of laughter, or pain. his eyes were open, exposed, barren. and then he said a simple sentence, one that brought our world crashing down: "your mother was murdered."
~~end of flashback~~

Simon's POV

Soph comes to stand behind me and i turn around, seeing her face, knowing she knows she made a mistake by mentioning her. i then do something so rare and special, that even it surprises me; i hug my sister. and no, not a brief embrace, for only a second of relief, a second of shelter against the world. i really hug her, gently bringing her down onto the floor with me cradling her in my lap, as we both cry.

Sophia's POV

after Sime hugs me, i break down. i just can't stem the flow of emotion coming from my eyes. i wrap my arms around his torso, breathing in the familiar, soothing scent of my brother. we stay like this, for a while, eventually he just keeps crying, after i'm done i stare out the window, making eye contact with a stranger, who goes to our school, a guy my brother calls his "bud".

???'s POV
as I'm walking to school, i look into Simon's house, the kitchen window open. i lock eyes with his sister, him sobbing into her shirt, her staring off into space. as me and her lock eyes, i can tell; this girl has changed, forever, in an instant, but for better or worse, i cannot tell.