CHAPTER 1:The Reality That Hit Hard.

Sophie sat silently on her bed in the quiet room. Dusk fell and she had gone to her room. Her mind filled with thoughts, she sat and stared out her window. Her phone buzzed and the name she dreaded to see showed on the screen. Mikhail. She took a deep breath before picking the phone up and answering slowly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Goody princess." He greeted cheerfully.

He usually called her that to annoy her when he wanted to or to compliment her. Tonight must be one of those nights Sophie guessed. She sighed before replying.

"Not that word again Mikhail."

"What word?" He asked faking innocence. "Oh, you mean princess?"

Sophie rolled her eyes. He really did have the talent of annoying the hell out of her.

"Okay, if you insist." She said refusing to add on.

He must have sensed her withdrawal so he asked. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," She replied.

"Soph, I know you." He added. "I know something's bothering you."

"There is something bothering me. But I don't think I can tell you."

"What? No way! Come on. Tell me." He pushed.

Sophie sighed loudly and he fell silent knowing she was serious. If there was someone who knew her almost too well, it was him. Her bestfriend, good brother and to most people on campus, her cousin; which by the way was not true at all. It was a lie he had made up to his friends and collegues to prevent suspicion on their relationship. She had just gone along with it since he seemed pretty impressed at how his friends called her his cousin. Of course, he was her bestfriend so she should support him by playing along. It had been seven years since they started college in the big city. She finished college and graduated and started off her first job as a Volunteer Publuc Relations Officer and a Scribe at a Publishing Firm. While he was still in college still finding his way. Still they were besties.

Flashback..

"What are you looking at?" Mikhail's bestfriend Lance shouted accross the classroom at Sophie and her bestfriends -Loila and Ella. Ella turned around and shouted back at them furiously.

"No one's looking at you guys, you idiotic childish boys. Get a life."

Shophie and Loila flat out laughing. This made Lance, Mikhail and Kevin so mad and embarrased at the same time because the whole class turned to stare at them. Well, they did kinda deserve it. Sophie turned and looked at them feeling a bit sorry for them. Maybe Ella was too harsh this time. But still, the guys knew very well how bad tempered Ella and Loila were. Not just bad tempered but loud too. Sophia felt bad seeing how embarrassed they were when they realized the whole class was staring at them. Lance was red in the face since he was the lightest of the three guys. Kevin had his head bent although he kept shooting fiery gazes at them but would smile at her when he looked her way. And Mikhail had his back to them and his head bent as well and from time to time turned his head to stare at them with a dark look. If looks could kill, he would be awarded. Sophie felt guilty watching them. The same bickering went on everyday between her friends and his that everybody knew when it started and would rush into the classroom to watch the battle between the two groups. Most times, Sophie would be caught in the middle trying to calm her bestfriends down or convince them to stop arguing with the boys. It didn't help because Lance and Mikhail would always murmur something when they walked past her anywhere on the school grounds when she was alone. Sophie was the middle person in her group. The peace maker; the one who always pulled the brakes when her friends got out of hand. She never used to get involved in the arguements that went on everyday and spent most of the time trying to tell her bestfriends to stop cursing at the guys. But still, the two guys always acted like she was the one doing the cursing. Kevin was different. He was nice to Sophie since they both came from the same Island but diffrent villages. He'd stop by her desk and sit down to talk to her. They'd speak their local language together and laugh at their jokes drawing attention from their bestfriends who would scowl at them and signal them to dismiss quickly before they started another arguement. Sophie would nod smiling at him and he would walk off to his bestfriends who would drag him out of class and to the back of the classroom demanding he spill what they were talking about. Ella and Loila would jump on Sophia and demand she spill as well. Sophie would just brush them off and tell them they were just telling stories and nothing more. This would make her bestfriends even more furious at the boys. Oh, how she wished they would all stop the fighting and bickering. It was getting old. But still, the no reason rivalry became infamous amoung their grade mates from year nine to twelve. Sophie knew if there were people who could hold mean grudges for a lifetime, it would be her besties Ella and Loila. The girls were the real deal when it came to hating people.

"You still there?" Mikhail's voice shook her from her daze.

Sophie cleared her throat loudly and sighed. "Yep. I'm still here."

"I thought you fell asleep on me. Not literally though." He laughed quietly. The sound making her smile widely. She loved hearimg him laugh. He hardly showed certain sides of him to others except her. And she was grateful he trusted her.

"Not tonight. And Gross to your other thought." She replied stretching out on her bed and lying down. Her movements must have been loud and Mikhail asked if she was lying down.

"What?" She nearly sat back up surprised.

He flat out laughing hard this time making her embarrassed. Good thing they were not talking in person because he would tease her about her blushed face and mostly her red nose.

"I know you are lying down soph. I could hear you on the earpiece." He said laugh still obvious in his voice although he was trying not to.

"Mikhail, stop teasing me." Sophie pouted over the phone. "And yes, I lied down and am covering with my comfy quilt because I'm cold. Why?"

He kept quiet on the other end but Sophie could tell he was grinning stupidly. Then he said quietly. "I know."

Sophie's heartbeat sped up. What was wrong with him tonight. He seemed too bold and way observative than before.

"You do? That's a sutprise coming from you. Geez, what are you talking about?" She tried to sound cheerful.

He laughed sounding almost nervous to Sophie. "I just do, okay? So let's drop ot because I don't want to explain further."

Sophie propped herself on her elbows and cupped her chin before replying.

"Oh no, you are not getting away with this. Come on spill the beans. What do you mean you know? And how? No, I mean why?"

"Shhhhh.....I don't wan....."

"Please.Please tell me. I mean how else will I know If I make a mistake or not if you don't tell me. Please....." She kept begging knowing he would finally give in. If there was one word he didn't like, it was Please. What a softie. As she suspected, he eventually came around and sighed.

"Okay. "

Sophie fell silent and eagerly listened waiting.

He cleared his throat and went " I don't know but I just know just by looking at your face. I guess it kind of blended in with your voice as well. I can tell when you are mad, or when you are not happy or dissappointed. When I see your eyes swollen, I know that you've been crying about something. When you squint your right eye only pretending that the sun is too hot, I know you are either embarrassed or are avoiding a serious moment with someone. You also crease your face or wrinkle your nose at that."He laughed lightly.

"What do you mean crease my face?" She asked smiling widely although not making it obvious.

"You know when you are embarrassed infront of a guy or when you want to avoid him." He continued.

" Oh and when you bite your lower lip, I know you are either deep in thought or pretending you are not interested in something. When you want the truth from someone, you call them by their full name, Like you always call mine. You know I don't like it when you call my full name?"

Sophie giggled. " Serves you right because most times you don't take things seriously. And for the record I see you smile when I call your full name. Don't kid yourself."

He laughed at that before picking up his guitar and began picking at the strings.

"Sing a song, Soph."

"What song?" She asked curling herself and hugging a pillow.

"Any song." He didn't stop picking.

Sophie tried to think of a song as fast as she could. Come on! Come on! She racked her brain ovwr and over.

"So all the songs ran away huh?" He asked.

"Yes, probably because I'm not in a singing mood. Sorry."

" It's fine. What should we talk about then?" He asked still playing the guitar quietly.

" I don't know," She mumbled against her pillow.

He stopped playing and giggled loudly. " Are you falling asleep soph? While talking to me? I know you are hugginh your pillow."

"Stop teasing me." She mumbled again. "I can't help it. My eyelids are drooping on their own."

"Okay princess, then I'll let you rest for now. But promise me something?" He said it straight but she knew it was a question. She loved that about him. He would never say anything without asking her about it first. He tried not to show it but she knew it was his way of trying to figure out whether she would be comfortable with it or not.

"Hmmmmmm...?" She replied lazily cuddling further into her pillows and quilt.

She could hear him laughing quietly but she was too tired to say anything. He always seemed to see things she never thought anyone would see.

"You'll call me next time, okay?" He asked.

Sophie snuggled into her soft pillow and muffled. "Mmmm okay."

"Okay, you promised," He laughed. "Night sleepy princess."