A/N Please give constructive criticism if you can, I need a second opionion on my writing. This chapter was a little early!
Sophie had done "awkward" plenty of times. Heck, she was a master of "awkward". But as she uncapped the line, she was introduced to a whole new realm of it.
Her friends were here.
Biana was smirking conspiratorially.
And her boyfriend was here.
Fitz was here, watching when she leaned forward anyway, something deep down compelling her as she placed the right edge of her right hand on Keefe's jaw to stabilize her grip.
Keefe even seemed to be suppressing a smile, which made his lips twitch, so Sophie had to place her other fingers on the other side of his face. She finished with the liner and swiped gloss over it, but her slightly trembling hand made it go outside, like a toddler coloring its first masterpiece. Then to clean that up, she had to swipe her pinky finger across the gap between his upper lip and nose, which didn't do anything to help matters.
Sophie sat back to survey Keefe's makeover.
He really didn't look that different. A little glammed up, with extremely shiny eyelids and very pink cheeks. Even his hair looked good out of its trademark style, tousled and sun-bleached from his time at the Shores of Solace - almost like the California surfer boys' Sophie had heard so much about but had never actually seen.
Tam was the first to speak. "He needs more shine."
"How about no?" Keefe decided. "Could I PLEASE see a mirror now?"
"Let's go to the guest bathroom," Fitz suggested.
The entire group crammed themselves into the bathroom down the hall. A long mirror spanned the entire double-sink counter, right there for Keefe.
He stared.
And stared some more.
And some more.
"You gotta admit, Fitzy," he said finally, "I make a pretty hot princess. Even the Hair is looking good."
He puckered his lips. It looked like he was about to grab Sophie's hand, but hesitated just a second before kissing his own hand and holding it up for Fitz to see. "Look at that. I was born a princess."
"Sophie killed it on the lips," said Dex.
Fitz seemed to be biting the inside of his lip as he said drily, "She really did."
"Yeah, the eyeliner's good too." Linh smiled.
"Please, we all know I did the best," Tam jumped in.
Biana's retort was cut off as Della called for dinner.
Sophie found herself next to Fitz as they clattered down the stairs. "Keefe really pulls that off, doesn't he?" he asked.
"He does," Sophie admitted. But she wanted to pull the words back into her mouth as soon as she said them, realizing how they sounded aloud.
Fitz either didn't notice too much or chose to ignore her, but the smile he gave her was slightly tight on the edges.
After a satisfying dinner and way too much dessert, Sophie grabbed an extra sleeping bag from the pile in the room they were using. They pushed the table and chairs out of the way, then spread out all the sleeping bags. (A/N I forgot to say that she brought a pillow and Ella so let's pretend she did cuz im just a great storyteller that way.) Sophie ended up in between Keefe and Fitz, because fate just seemed to hate her an extra bit. She brushed her teeth and changed into pajamas with Biana and Linh in Biana's bathroom, then went through some excessively long night routine the Vacker sister made her and Linh try. Then she settled into her sleeping bag as everyone else burrowed into their own.
"Now we spill secrets," Keefe said as the door closed behind Fitz.
"Yeah, I wanna hear the juicy stuff," Tam agreed.
"Sure, but how are we going to do this?" Biana asked.
"Well," Sophie spoke up, "there's this one game called Paranoia. Do you guys know how to play?"
"Nope," Dex said.
"Can you teach us?" Linh asked.
"Of course," Sophie said.
Only a tiny part of her worried what she was getting herself into.