Sofia closed the door to her room. She was glad that she could come home from a boring day in school and just curl up on her bed with a good book. The 12-year-old girl plopped down on her bed with the latest paranormal romance. School was exhausting, and she only heard it would worsen. 7th grade was exhausting to be exact. The year was going by too slowly for her liking, and it was crazy how much drama was in her life. The rumors. The whispers behind her back. The glares. Her once best friend, Amanda, was doing everything to make her life miserable. Sofia knew she was always the quiet one. The one who was never invited to the sleepovers. The one who never hung out with the popular girls. The one who everyone talked about but never to. And she knew why too, but she always tried to push that thought out of her head. She let out a dramatic sigh. Mami and Momma were at the hospital, and Sofia never liked spending her time there for too long. The surgeries were cool. And the doctors were so nice. But she didn't like seeing the patients. Sofia knew that she couldn't stand even getting the flu, but there were kids who stay at the hospital with cancer or worse. And Momma had to take care of them. So far, home was the best place to be.

Relaxing her mind, Sofia opened the book to where she left off. The cute vampire guy was going to ask Bethany to prom, and it was hopelessly romantic in the 12-year-old's mind. Her eyes skimmed the pages. She was glad she could spend her free time doing what she loved, even if people called her a nerd because of it. Love was so confusing. That was all she knew. It was a mix of ups and downs and ups and downs. Teen romances made it seem so easy. She always felt like she was the last to understand everything in her group of friends. The ones who already turned 13 seemed to act more superior than the rest. Their glares of judgment were not so easy to ignore. Finally, Sofia had to shut the book. She obviously couldn't enjoy a good book without being interrupted by her thoughts. It was 6 pm, and she felt like she needed some human contact now.

She got up from the bed to find Daddy. Daddy could always make her feel better. It was her father's turn to babysit her. She hated the word "babysit." It made her feel like a little kid. Like she was two instead of 12. Actually, she would be turning 13 in a month or so. Sofia smiled at the thought of that. Birthdays were always so fun because Daddy, Mami, and Momma would all take her out to dinner. Aunt Lexie and her siblings would come as well. Even though the adults were busy with surgery, they all made sure to save time for a birthday treat.

Mark was sitting on the couch, watching TV, when he saw Sofia walk towards him. Watching Sofia always made him feel old. He had become an old man now, but it was indeed satisfying. He had a son and two daughters (three if you counted distant Sloane). Anthony was his youngest at 5 years old while Susan was two years older than him. "Hey, Sofia," Mark greeted the worried 11 year old. "Want to join me? Nothing like a good football game, right?" Sofia sat down on the couch, and Mark put his arm around her.

Sofia felt like she couldn't contain her emotions anymore. It wasn't just love that was confusing. Life was confusing in general. There were so many new terms that people used. There were so many relationships now. Even in 7th grade, people had already begun to grow interested in each other. And it was hard to hide that fact that Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres felt left out. "Dad," Sofia started, trying to just focus on the TV.

"What?" Mark asked, hesitating for a moment. He would rather leave the heart-to-heart talks as Callie and Arizona's job. But since they were not here right now, Mark figured the conversation was inevitable.

"Do you think I'm gay?" Sofia asked, feeling the familiar lump in her throat. She had been trying to ignore the question for a while now. But the truth was that it wasn't easy having lesbian parents. When she went to other girls' houses when she was younger, the other moms always seemed to be alarmed by the fact that Sofia had three parents raising her. Everyone had tried to tell her that love was between a boy and a girl, but Sofia knew otherwise. She knew the look Mami gave Momma when they cooked together. She's seen Momma kiss Mami good night many times. And to her…it was normal. There was nothing wrong with it, but the kids at school seemed to think otherwise.

Mark didn't know how to respond the question. He was definitely missing the calmness of Callie and Arizona. The truth was that Sofia always made him feel so nervous. He already had one teenage daughter come up to him and later tell him that she was pregnant. Teenage girls were unpredictable. He had to respond just right. It would be like building an Ikea bookshelf without reading the manual; he was bound to screw up. "What made you ask this?"

Sofia shrugged her shoulders, but she replied anyway. "All the kids at school think I must be because I have two moms," she replied. Her tear trickled down her eye, and she sniffled.

"Well, do you want to be Sofia?" Mark asked slowly

"Yes," Sofia answered, not sure where the conversation was going.

"That's good…because she's a great daughter who loves to read and draw. She's an incredible artist who is such a good big sister as well. Sofia has a great sense of humor. I mean, who wouldn't want to be her?" Mark laughed, trying to cheer Sofia up.

"You didn't answer my question," Sofia answered, biting her lip. She gave Mark a small smile.

"No one has to figure themselves out at twelve years, Sofia. Heck, I haven't even figured myself out, and what am I….200 years old?" Mark joked, looking at Sofia kindly.

"208 years to be exact," Sofia giggled.

"Yeah, and I don't know everything about me. Life changes us, Sof. But we can't rush it. Let change come when it comes," Mark finished, hoping his heart-to-heart talk had been worthwhile.

Sofia nodded, trying to comprehend the information. Maybe she wasn't gay. Or maybe she was. But right now, all Sofia knew was that she was Sofia. And it didn't matter. Who needed teen romances when she could at least try to love herself? Well, maybe she would at least finish the one she started. "Thanks, Dad," Sofia replied.