Sofia's POV – 17 Years Old.
"Focus!" Michelle said as she snapped her fingers in front of my face. I blinked and shot her a look, turning my attention back on my textbook that was open on my bed. I hated History but I really needed to pay attention for this course. If I flunked, my mother would be unhappy.
"I hate Mr. Donahue," I grumbled into my book, running my hands through my hair.
"No, you hate that you don't pay attention and then he threatens to call your parents," Michelle snickered, flipping through her notes with a smug look.
I let my head thump against the book. "I will learn by osmosis."
Michelle's laugh filled the room, snorting as she laughed. My best friend was gracious enough to come over and help me study. 'Study' for me was code for letting me get away with having my friends over when I wasn't supposed to, but her definition of 'study' was to actually help me.
At least one of us gave a crap.
I sighed and lifted my head when I could hear faint music coming up the vent. Michelle moved her head side to side with the beat, singing the lyrics to the song.
"You know The Flamingos?"
Michelle nodded. "Of course I do."
"Ugh, you're a freak just like my dad."
"Hey, The Flamingos are awesome…wait, isn't your room over your kitchen?"
"Yeah, why?" I said absently, looking in the back of the book for the answer I was stuck on. I heard her book fall to the ground as she scurried to her feet, and out the door. I groaned and followed after her. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out where she was going. I found her creeping in the doorway to the kitchen, peaking around the corner
I rolled my eyes back came to stand beside her.
"Your parents really are the fairy tale aspiration," Michelle said wistfully, watching my parents. I scoffed but watched them. Either they couldn't see us or didn't care. The older they got, the mushier they got. Like, dance in the kitchen mushy.
"Plus, your parents are super-hot."
I gagged and scoffed at her, but she always told me how much she hoped to find someone to complete her the way my parents completed each other. I watched my dad dip my mom down, her laughing over the music as he brought her back up, hands settling on her waist and pulled her close, moving in perfect time with the chorus of the song. I had seen my parents dance together before, and they usually did it to tease me, but not like this.
This kind of dancing was for the two of them, close and intimate with their heads close together, mouthing the words of the song to each other.
"Let's hope they don't break out Neil Diamond, then I don't think I'll get my friend back," I said by grounded, eating my words as Holly Holy came over the speakers in the kitchen. I shook my head but had to admit, my parents really did love each other.
Mom was beautiful and strong, and if you didn't know she was forty-three with three kids, you'd be stunned. I looked a lot like her but had Dad's eyes and smile. But she was a free spirit, never afraid to embarrass us in public, and always called me her baby even though I was almost an adult. She was the same with Arya and Tavish.
Dad was handsome too. He had a dry sense of humour and could appear stern, but really was a big softy, especially when it came to us. Sometimes my parents acted like they were young and in love, all gooey and shit, but they were sturdy.
I had so many friends who parents were on the rocks or split up, but I never worried about that when it came to my parents. They were disgustingly in love.
Dad caught side of us out of the corner of his eye, and I knew he did because he got a devilish smirk on his face, leaning down to kiss Mom.
"Ew!"
Michelle sighed quietly and I rolled my eyes. Hopeless Romantic this one.
"Did we interrupt your 'studying'" Mom asked sarcastically, turning in Dad's arms to look at us with a raised brow. I shrugged at the same time Michelle shook her head.
"Why can't you dance that well? Both your parents can dance," Michelle said offhandedly, elbowing my in the side.
"I can dance!"
"No you can't" Three separate voices said, Mom came around the kitchen and poked me in the stomach teasingly.
"You can swim well and you are an amazing skater, but dancing off the ice is not your strong suit," Mom smiled, tucking my hair behind my ears. I shook my head but took it with a grain of salt. I couldn't dance nicely, but I could dance in a way that made Tavish laugh anytime he was upset.
I guess that was the perk of having a little brother. He always looked at me like I was the greatest thing. Arya did too, but she was in that phase of being sixteen where she was moody and didn't want anything to do with any of us, unless we were at school.
"Are you staying for dinner, Michelle?" Dad asked, turning down the music.
"If you'll have me," she said politely, smiling at my parents. Dad nodded and took out another bowl and set it on the counter to bring out to the table, grabbing cultery as well. Michelle stepped towards the island and took her place setting to the table, leaving me in the kitchen with my parents. Mom looked at me curiously before wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
"What's wrong? You look like you ate a lemon."
"I'm not so confident about my test tomorrow."
"What class?"
"History," I said glumly. History was never my strong suit, and I didn't need it for what I was going to school for. It was the only class I could take for that time slot.
"What's your current grade?"
I shuffled my feet and shrugged under her arm. "I think a high C?"
Mom sighed and squeezed my shoulder. "Your father will go over the material with you tonight, but I think you'll be okay. It won't be the end of the world."
I looked at my mom with an annoyed look. "You told me that you'd be disappointed if I didn't do well."
Mom laughed. "No. I said I would be disappointed if you didn't try. There's a difference, Fia. Just do your best."
I sighed and leaned into her shoulder, feeling a little bit of relief at her response. I pulled away and took the salad to the table, finding Michelle looking over our family pictures in the room.
"Look at how cute you were!" she exclaimed, pointing at the one picture she knew I hated. It was from my fifth birthday, my cousin Vinnie hugging me and Arya tightly, our faces smooshed together. I hated it because the morning of, I found a pair of scissors in my grandparents' study and hacked off chunks of my hair.
I looked like Dora with the haircut my mom did in the interim. We didn't have time to get it fixed properly.
"Shut it," I grumbled, setting the salad down as my parents came in too, setting dinner down on the table. I looked at the place settings.
"Who's not eating?"
"Arya."
"Where is she?" I asked sinking down in my chair, Michelle sitting down beside me.
Dad looked like he smelled something bad as he sat something down. "Jackson's."
Ahh. That's what the look was for. None of us liked her boyfriend, Jackson, and he wasn't exactly welcome at the house after he got a little too vocal about my sister.
I didn't like him because I knew what he did when my sister wasn't around, not that she'd listen to me either way.
"And Tav?"
"He's having dinner with Lissa and Christian," Mom said serving herself some pasta, holding the bowl out for me. I took it and put some food in my bowl, taking more pasta than I usually do simply because Dad made the good stuff.
We started eating in comfortable silence when Michelle piped up.
"Okay, I have to ask you two something."
My parents looked at her, Mom nodding her head in encouragement.
"What is the story behind that picture?" she asked, pointing to the one in the center of the array of pictures. I looked up and found the one she was talking about. It was my parents when they were young - before I was born, I think. The two of them were standing in front of some kind of structure at the Cloisters, my dad's head resting just above my mom's shoulder. She was smiling right at the camera, but his eyes were looking at her. It was a sweet picture, and Dad was always adamant that he wanted that picture on display.
Dad looked at the photo and then at Mom, a soft smile crossing his face.
"That picture was taken the day I realized I was falling in love with Rose," he said softly, smiling at my mom. I looked down at my food but let a small smile cross my face too.
Like I said, they were disgustingly in love. I knew the story behind my parents, the story of how my mom was a surrogate and that they fell in love. I knew about the sister that passed too early, and I knew that my mom always referred to me as her 'love baby' because of how my parents came together.
They met for something professional and came out of it a family.
Song features:
I Only Have Eyes For You - The Flamingos
Holly Holy - Neil Diamond
